The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-01-22 00:00:00

ADDRESS TO HIS MAJESTY.

The Eurl of GALLOWAY then rose to move
the Address to His Majesty, and spoke to the
following effect :—" My Lords, I am fully sensible
how inadequate- I am to execute the task I have
undertaken, and therefore I claim the indulgenve
of your LOrdshipi, in consideration of the habits
and pursuits of my life, which have not been such
as to qualify me for public speaking. I will con-
tent myself with adverting to the leading topics in
His Majesty's Speech, and shall give such reasons,
as, I trust, will induce your Lordships to concur
in the Address I shall have the honour of moving.
In the first place, we are informed iu the Speech.
that shortly after die Treaty of Tilsit His Majesty'.
Ministers received information, that it was the in-
tention of France to bring about a naval confede-
racy among the different maritime Powers of the
Continent, and that it was the ilitentiou of Den-
mark to take a part in that confederacy. The
hostile spirit of Dempark %Mast this mouser? wet
*meat, as to frustrate every attempt which we
aide to attach that country to our interests. But
otter the success of our expedition to Zealand,
eiret7 thing we had beard concerning the hostile
Sentiments of the Danish Government became
completely verified. The immense quantity of
stores found in the Dock-yards, the state of pre-
paration the ships were found in, sod many other
circumstunces, fully proved that that Jleet was in-
tended to be employed against Great Britain ;'hut
fortunately all these ships are now, in your har-
bours ; and with every ship you clime a door
against the enemy. These fiefs appear No evident,
that I cannot conceive how any difference of opi-
nion should exist on the subject. In order•to jus-
tify the conduct of Government in the transaction,
I will put this ease :—Suppose His Majesty's Mi-
nisters hail neglect,el to secure that fleet, after
having received information of the manner in which
it was to be employed ; and suppose that fleet
should afterwards join a confederacy of other &Is,
destined to attack the most vulnerable parte of
our coasts ; what should then my ,to those i-
insters T would they not justly deserve the comer'
of the whole country for such conduct t Nestle
the securing the Danish fleet, I consider the
es-
cape of the Portuguese fleet the Moat fortunate and
important event that has occurred for a long time.
It is not only important, but it must b.- gratifying
to the feeling of every man to think, that an illus-
trious family, and a Government that had so long
been in amity with us, has escaped from the de-
gradation and misery intended for them. Besides,
that event has thrown open the whole of South
America to our trade. VV ith regard to the conduct
of the Court of Hawaii, every body must see that
what has been done by His Majesty's Government
is completely justifiable. Injurious, however, as
that conduct may appear to us, I wish to e,tract
some good out of it; and, in fact, I forebode many
important advantages which-we shall hereafter de-
rive from the stoppage of all intercourse between
Citeitt Britain and Russia. I foresee that if, by the
bounty of the Legislature, due encouragenit:nt shall
be vim to the cultivation of flax and hemp in
our own dominion*, we shall have reason to
hail the day when we broke off our corn-
inertial intercourse with that country. The
conduct of the King of Sweden, which is alluded
to in the Speech, merits every eulogium that it is
in our power to bestow on that magnanimous
Prince ; and my earnest wish is, that he may meet
with every success which the justice of his cause de-
serves, t earnestly hope that British gratitude
will follow and protect him ; and that a powerful
British force will, at all times, aid him in the Bal-
tic. I wish I conld animadvert on the conduct of
America, hut I shall at present decline doing so.
It is necessary, however, for me to say, that we
i mast make a stand somewhere, and where can we
do it more properly than in defence of our seamen t
1, If America wishes to place herself under the protec-
, tioa or France, it is not ill our power to prevent
her from doing so. er b preseut a war with