The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-22 00:00:00

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try. Sufficient information, therefore, ought to be
given ; but he had no wish to urge his Motion at
present on the House : if it was disagreeable or inm•
proper, he, therefore, threw himself on the indul-
gence of the House, and would ad, respecting his
motion, according to their pleasure.
Lord GRENVILLE rose to offer his request to
his Noble Friend behind him to withdraw his mo-
tion ; but if he were compelled to vote, he must say
he had not heard a single argument to prove the
necessity or even the propriety of relating it. For
his part, his Lordship said, be should be sorry tO heir
any thing at that moment from any quarter that
might have a tendency to throw embarrassment on
'Ministers; they had taken upon themselves, without
the smallest communication to Parliament of the
grounds on whieh they ;teed, to propose a strong
measure to the country. A time, therefore, must
come, when not only such a motion as his Noble
Friend had moved, but when other motions leading
to enquiry into every part of the concluel of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers, during the last eighteen months,
would be necessary. The subject of his Noble
Friend's was a proper siobjee of enquiry, at the pro-
per time ; and he could not acquiesce in the opi-
nions that he had at . different times heard from
those Noble Lords who took upon themselves to de-
fend the conduet of Ailninistration ; and it was im-
possible for him not to notice the general unwilling-
ness of his Majesty's Ministers to give any sort of
explanation of their conduit. Their responsibility
for that conduet, during the last eighteen months,
was great and unprecedented. They had called
upon the country, first to disarm, then again to
arm, then once more to disarm, and now to arm
again ; so that their measures were done and un-
done ; adopted, and altered, without assigning to
Parliament the smallest reasons for those variations
and differences. But still he would not wish to
have at present any occasion afforded to his Majes-
ty's Ministers to Charge either his friends or himself
with having thrown any difficulties in their WWI:
there would be future opportunities sufficient for
discussing all such motions hereafter, and therefore .
would request his Noble Friend to withdraw his
Motion.
The Earl of CARLISLE said, he would wil-
lingly, with leave of the House, withdraw his
Motion, at the request of his Noble Friend ; but he
must declare, that he had heard nothing from Mi-
nisters which be could consider as an explanation of
their conduit, or a reason for their resisting his
Motion.
Lord PELHAM said, he saw no great objection
or harm in the Motion, farther than his general
sense, that it was contrary to the pradlice of Parlia-
ment to adopt any Motions, the grounds of which
had not been explained to the House. At the same
time, he had no wish, either in the instance of the
present Motion, or any other that mght he brought
fbrward, to shrink from enquiry, when that should
be properly instituted. With regard to the con-
dun of his Majesty's Ministers, no taunts that
could be brought aganst them, no loose insinuations
picked up without doors, should drive him or his
colleagues from a steady perseverance in all such
measures as, upon full consideration, they should
deem it their duty to propose. The country and
the Parliament had hitherto approved of their con-
duct, and honoured them with their confidence ; and
while they have that support, they should feel them-
selves sufficiently satisfied. His Lordship, after va-
rious other similar observations, concluded with re-
peating, that he must resist the Noble Earl's mo-
tion, because no grounds had been laid for it.
Lord GRENVILLE made a short reply, and
denied that Parliament had expressed any confi-
dence in the conduit of his Majesty's Ministers,
during the last eighteen months; for, during that
period, Ministers had not thought'proper to make
a single communication to Parliament, assigning
their reasons for the extraordinary and contraditon-
condue which they had held, of first desiring the
country to disarm, then calling upon them to arm,
then again bidding them disarm, and now suddenly
coming forward to bid them to arm again. Parlia-
ment therefore had no grounds to rest its confidence
upon.
Lord HOIIART said, there were two great and
in.portant public measures, respecting which Mini-
sters had laid the fullest communication before Par-
liament—a Convention and Treaty -of Peace with
the Northern Powers, and the Preliminary and De-
finitive Treaty of Peace with France ; both of which
the majority of both Houses, and the Country ap-
proved.
Lord GRENVILLE said, both these measures
took place before the commencement of the eighteen
months to which he alluded.
The LORD CHANCELLOR left the Wool-
sack, to state his reasons why.he should vote for
the Motion, which lie held in his hand, viz. a Mo-
tion to withdraw the 141oaon first• moved by the
Noble Earl ; and also to make a few observations.
When the Noble Earl introduced the original Mo-
tion, he gave the House no explanation of it; and if
lie understood a Noble Friend of his correctly (Lord
Hobart) he objeaed to it, because, according to
what he had himself always taken to be the constant
usage of Parliament, sufficient grounds were not
laid for it, previous to the Motion being made. A
Noble Lord, who had risen next, and advised the
Noble Earl behind him t) withdraw his Motion, had
declared, that he had heard no argument front
Ministers, why the Motion ought to be repelled.
Now he should have imagined, that it would have
been more natural first, to have expected s sound
reason should have been assigned to induce the Hous
to support the Motion, before other Noble Lord;
should be called upon to show why it ought to b e
related. With regard to the conduit of Ministers,
about which so many charges and insinuations were
thrown out every day, he well knew, his Lordship
said, that the time must come, when every part et
his condua must be enquired into ; but till that en-
quiry should be made, no man had a right to say
he had lost the confidence of Pariiameot, or that
Parliament had expressed any dis:tpprobati nof any
part of his emotive. He ought uot, the:duce, is