The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-03-31 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Sir Joni, FAU. Chairman of the Committee on t►e
Christ Church Election, reported, tbet the Sitting :limbers
form illey elected, sail thst the Pptition eras not frir•oloue
1110, . _ _

—...----.
Sir Josue NTWPOIRT gave notice, that he would, to.
morrow, move for an sceitent of the Offices granted forJoiut
Urea and 1t lterinsion, in Ireland
A Person from the °liken( the chief Secretary in Ireland,
prreelted certain Papers, relative t,i the Maynnoth College.
or..f.reit by the House. Laid on the table, and ordered to he
printed.
.4 Petition rmi presented from eertain Inhabitants of
praying that the Bill for erecting a Bridge
over the Phases, near Vanahall Turnpike, might psis Mau
a lau.--Imid on tie: tank.

Air. Mt:Lamm presented a Petitlsm of eertuie other Per
suSis, RI( 11131 i said 8111.--.TaMed.
The eous.deratiss of the Donegal Election Petition w
postponed t i the 3d of May.
The of the Commissioners for the Arran,-
rit sod Pres. rvattoo of the Itecurds of the Kingdom, s..
Ter as related to Scotland, sera pretested to the
Tattled.

- -
The Orden in Council Indamaity Bill was rritorted, anti
ordered to be read a third tiostto•ntornrw.

The Surrey Hour's Roca Collectiim Regulation Rill was
read a third time and gassed.
Mr. CA Les A rr wisircd to know whether Government had
tithe" any steps is consequence of the late Report of the
Commuiaineni of )lilitary Inquiry, in which anuse state-
Runts of an entirlAidoll nature had bees wade, atfectio; lb*
1111eMest Hoard ?
The Cx•scri.cost of the EacorQurn answered, that
the 'abject had not yet come under ha .tithe, he baring
been so nisch occupied since that Report had been cir-
culated.
The Irish Cad InAM Bill was committed, mid ordered to
be mad s third time to-morrow.

_
The Irieb Cotton W.Pli sisd Peruvian Dark Prohibitios
BM, was read a third tine aad pa►eed.

DUBLIN POLICE BILL.

Sir ARTHUR IiLLUILET movell the second
reading of this Bill.
Mr. SHAW, Mr. BERIESFORD, Mr. GRATTAN,
and Dr. DUIGENAIt, severally objected to hurry-
ing this Bill through the Howie, till such time as
the Irish Members were all assembled, as they
looked upon it as infringing the charter of the city
of Dublin.

The CHANCCI.LOR of the EXCVEQUEII, Sir Al-
TIMM. Vi'sLui.si.war, and Mr. flusatmos, argued,
that there was no intention to hurry this Bill
thrudgh the House, nor to prevent the Corpora.
Lion of Dublin seeing it. The object in view
was to have it committed, and the blanks tilled up
its early as possible, afterwards to reprint it, and
send it over in a more perfect state, for the inape,
ahm of those interested. Upon hrins;ing up the
Report it might be amply discussed.
' r JOHN NLWIIPOILT said, ha should never eon-
'lent to the ritsciple, that because a Charter had
granted cedilla powers to a Corporate Body, who
neglecte I that which was committed to their care,
that Charter was to be so strongly binding as to
leave the city of Dublin without a police. lie
could prove, that almost every Police Act that had
passed, had trowelsed, same or less, upon the pri-
orileges of such Charters. With respect to one
kkart of the Dublin Police, as it now existed, hr
was happy to find that some steps had already
been taken, by the appointment of Superintending
fllhigistrate., to prevent that money, which was
granted for public purposes, being devoted to pri-
vate emolument.

The Bill was then read a wool time, and er-

dared to be committed on Friday next; but after
the order for committal had been entered by the
Clerk, it *centred to the Speaker, that this being

partly • public and partly a.private Bill, it was ne-"
reasary, by the rules of the House, that days
should intervene between the second reading and

the commitment of Bills relating to Irelativr. It
would therefore be necessary that a specific no-
tice, for die purpose of dispensing with that regula-
ting, shold.be given.
Sir ASICHUR WELLESLEY accordingly gave a
notice to that effect for to-morrow.
Mr. Lusieesueove rose and expressed his wish
to know the truth of a Report he had heard is to
King's Meaviengers having been sent over to Ire-
land, at the public expense, for the purposes of
bringing over witnesses to give evidence upon the
Downpetrick Election Committee%
Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY answered, that there
was no truth in surly a report.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed
if, and the Houseidjoerned.

T' A :11BER or P.IRLLEVENT.
• °

intve he.t..(l tuai.y appments advanced

the pilley of ne4oci4ti.l4 it peace with

but have not vet heard any sufficiently
4;ogekt to convince me of the wi.dont of delaying tut
event which seems to lie so dtsirable to all man-
kind. For 1.5 )ears have we now been at war with
that power, and constantly has the object of it been
changing : At first the restoration of monarchy ;
idly, the restitution of Flanders to the Emperor ;
3111 y, the possession of Malta ; and athly, the
Right of searching Neutrals:—such are the differ-
ent motives which base occasioned such immense
loses of Wood and of treasure to be sustained,
without their having been able to obtain the objects
they had in view. But how h longer are we
to proceed in this ruinous state? Till parties are
convinced that Bonaparte has changed his na-
ture ? That he has no more cunning left in

his disposition ; no more aversion towards this
country ; and that it way then only be safe to con-
clude a Peace with hint ?—lf we wait till then, I
am idiaid we may wait long enough. But this cx-
pectation—this false hope, I am full• persuaded, is
now the only Annulus which actuates us to proceed
in a course, which becomes more intricate and
dangerous every day ; therefore, pregnant as it is
With the ninon alarming cousequetacce, I can-
not refrain from attempting to examine into
the nature of this plienotuenoa, which seems to
confound our sense and understanding, and to
inquire bow far the character of this age differs
from, or corresponds with, that of a former one,
handed down to us by history.
No one can read the f'iatory of the Reign of
Charles the 2d, without feeling great concern at
the conduct of the English Court and Parliament
at that period, in dissolving that close union and
confederacy, which, during a course of nearly 70
years, had subsisted almost without interruption or
jealousy between England and Rolland ; and in
pleading the moat unjustifiable motives ever de-
vised, in order to indnlgc their own passions, and
to ruin one of the most flourishing and industrious
states in the world. Ikre we behold a must dis-
pleasing picture of our own character, which ex-
hibits avarice, envy, and injustice, in their most
hideous colours. On the other hand—we cannot
help admiring the vigour with which the I)utch
began to arm themselves, after having tried every
art of negociatinu heron they would conic to ex-
tremities. For it was a maxim of that great
Statesman, De Wit, who governed the affairs of the
Republic, that no independent Government should
yield to another any evident point of reason or
equity, and that all such concessions, so far from
preventing war, served to no °thee pu►pose than
to provoke fresh claims and insults. Louis the
14th at that time filled the Throne of trance,
a sovereign whose ambition was injustice; whose
finances were in very greatorder; whose naval power
was formidable ; and whose armies were excellently
disciplined and eery numerous ; whose high spirit
and unsubmitting temper the King of England
experienced. It is, therefore, with equal regret
we learn, at the time the general liberties of Eu-
rope were menaced by that Prince, and an offensive
league was forming betweeu England and Holland,
In order to oblige France to relinquish all her con-
quests—that the Dutch Minister should express
himself io the following terms, That evEr
I since the reign of Queen Elizabeth, there had been
such a fluctuation in the English Councils, that it
was not possible for two years together to take any
sure or certain measures with England." And it is
with great abhorrence we discover the weakness
and perfidy of Charles, who, after having con-
eluded the Treaty at Aix-la-Chapelle, which gua-
ranteed to Spain the remainder of the Low Coun-
tries, which bad not been conquered by France,
and by which all Europe seemed to repose hers if
with, security under the wings of that powerful
confederacy, formed shortly afterwards an alliance
with the French King. It is also with the utmost
indignation we find that Charles, before he entered
into the Triple Alliance, with Sweden and Holland,
to protect Flanders front the sudden pretension of
Louis XIV. in right of his wife, had privately made
advances to France to prevent his being; obliged to
enter into that Alliance—had also written apologies
for it to his sister, the Ihtchess of Urines, and to
Louis the Fourteenth, as soon as the Treaty was
finished (notwithstanding his Aliiiister had taken
the greatest pains to bring it about, and re-
ceived unbounded applause for his success;, and
soots after catered into a secret treaty, for the pur-
pose of subduing Holland, upon condition of his
, receiving a subsidy of several millions of byres
from the French King. To this end he made the
podension to superiority in the English flag, and
seine abusive pictures which only represented some
ships on fire in a harbour, construed to be Chat-
• ham, the grounds of quarrel, the most ridiculous
i almost ever recorded ! But what ought it to Coll-
cent men of great minds, whether a poor man or a

war

rich man should salute them in passing by ? The
more fotrengtli and the lees pride men have, the.
more they es. dispense with trifing,ionours.7--!
lf they are conscious of their owp strength, 'Of
their own courage, they should disdlin to notice
/4101 which suit only ctfeatitiate minds, but by no
111PaRIS thole of unions. It is not the character of
generous valour to make every one stoop to pay
linti homage, much less to act like au liirptisitor
awl a suspicious searcher. Such conduct, there-
fore., consequently incensed the Dutch io a pecu-
liar manner against the English. By the offer of
a close alliance for mutual defence, we had se-
duced that Republic to quit the alliance of France,
but i:o sootier had she embraced these measures,
tliad we funned leagues fur her destruction, with
that very Power, which we had treacherously en-.
gaged her to offend. Ac such, therefore, was the
conduct of England, or rather of the King of En-
glumd at that period, the question then is, what has
been the conduct of Frauce during the present

We have seen her triumphant on every part of
the Continent, in the same manner as we have been
on the ocean ; have wren her aggrandizing her do-
minions to a prfAligious extent, and even forfeiting
her word and honour, in order to rule over other
countries. We have seen her. Chief imposing new
constitutions upon neutral states, creating Kings
and degrading k:atperors. riolating neutral tern-
tones, assitssiouting an illustrioue Prince and • re-
nowned 'General, poisoning his soldiers, and de-
claring himself on one day a 31tisselman, and en
another day whatever hiefancy dictated. But all
these outrages seem to have been the result of des-
peration, and not the deliberate act of a mind
which had the opportunity of weighing what was
most salutary for establishing its real welfare. For
if the dispositions of individuals prompt theta to be
more obstinate and furious the more they are ha-
rassed and goadid, we may draw from thence
this conclusion, that the method the Princes of
Europe adopted was not the most congenial nor
the best suited to the temper of the French, to
bring them back to teat state of harmony from
which they had deviated. Is it then even now too
Fete to succeed in so laudable an undertaking ? la
it unpraiscworthy to he of a disposition inclined to
peace ? If not, let us try to heal all the wounds
which have been inflicted ou both sides. Why
should we fear to bring about so desirable au
event! Because it will afford an opportunity to
France to build a fleet, and beeome'eur rind again
at sea ? Because it will contribute to keep our
own forces in good discipline, by knowing we have
a neighbour who will require to improve and
cultivate that discipline, which alone can inescrie
our naval supetiprity, and prevent as from falling
into a state of supineness and inactivity ? Would.
it not be well to conclude a peace, but in older to
secure it, at the same time, to keep a large reserve
of seamen always at hand when the fleets are laid
up, by allovribg a select number of the best and
bravest anousi allowances or fiensimus, where-
by they might always be at hand when required,
and upon every emergency ? For, of ell regula-
tions, those respecting our brave seamen are the
most scandalous to thossountry and the Govern-
ment. Uow many fine fellows did we not See at
the conclusion of the last war dismissed the service
in an unhandsome manner, and begging about
the streets for want of employment ? The differ-
ent scenes of this description iu every town in
Faighttul, particularly London, were distressing
le,ond example. But this want of regulation with
respect to seamen is likewise dangerous, and highly
injurious to the country, as several,ships have been
known to be lost owing to the ignorance of the
crew, and that at the beginning of a war.
Would it not be well to conclude a peace, but
at the same time to fortify ourselves with the addi-
tional security of a good internal force ? 1 mean
a continuation of that system of Volunteers, and a
strong Militia, whereby every Englislitniut will be
able to take up arms, in defence of his
country, if required, at any future period.
Will it not then be well to conclude a peace,

since every person, truly brave, has no ocea-
lion to fear another, especially when he pos.c4ses
every means of defence and strength to repel the
assaulbof the aggressor ? It will be wise to cunt.i.
der these questions most maturely, particularly as
one of the two digicagiiirs no longer exists, which
presented itvelf at the time Mr. Fox carried ou the
late negotiations with the French Goveniment :
viz. the necessity of admitting Russia as a party to
the treaty of peace ; and the other, namely the re-
tention of Sicily, might be removed, by siluptinz
either of the following plans, vis.—
Either by prevailing on the King of Sicily to
give hie free comient to accept of some just equiva-
lent. to be first submitted to the ciinsidemtion of
the Government of this country as to the fairness of

it, anti to be duly guaranteed :
Or by prevailiug ou Franco to wave this claim,
ou coudition of our giving to Ler some eyuivaleot