The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-05-20 00:00:00


AT,

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as much as rsNe floe pre; of tlae &moll
question which stood for Monday neat If t*.
Hon. Geotleman supposes dant in itte-&,laopaa of
khis •Majeso , each of: those points whit+ *alias
' Gentlerrrm considers' as a just grisilrot fie. elate; Was
so considered, he very nuich mistakes the policy
hi- which his Majesty's G m oyernent were influenced,
or' the line of conduct .which they had adopted ; for
though those points-may notflif•tlieririselt'i.o,se.pil;
rately considered, form a ground rn. ,lar, ye
token vitectively. they furniSte of an hostile
mind on the part of France as a groond for the de-
cision of the douse. For the systematical conduct of
*France gave evidence of Ft hnstiie mind. With re-
gard to 'the 'first motion of the I lon. Cenialaaa,
respecting the remenstrances made on the part
of his M !jetty's Ministers, respeding the agzre4.
sioas and violence on the part of France, and the
refusal of any satisfalory eralanntion, he begged
leave to observe, that %her: -.vas a distinaion be-
tween evading and giving aa atonlate refusal of
any satisfaaory explanation, and the Ho.a Gen-
tleman %%fetid fled, if he permed the dncuments
produced with attention, that there was a_ paper on
that suhjed. He should not, however, oljed to
the motion, anxious as he was to give every degree
of information in his power Gil the subject. With
respell to the second point,• which related to the
commercial agents of Fiance, he believed the ac-
count was so much exaggerated by the Honoura-
ble Gentleman, that his Majesty's Message
would not hear it out. With regard to the
coodud of his Majesty's Ministers in this case,
a request had been made to the Government of
France, that those peroms siveild he removed, in
consemenice of which several were withdrawn, • and
rone wife ed to reach the place of their destination
With napes% to the tlfri point, relative to the corn-
municatio t made to the Legislative Body, no formal
communication had been made; and even if' there
had been, it was no ground for formal remonstrance,
though certainlyaproof of an hostile mind. ithre
sped to the next-point, respeding Switzerland and
0 e t ! verbal alluded to, it was most certainlytrite,
that no answer had been received, bin an ostensible
dispatch had been received by Mr. Otto on
that sullied, which was in substance the same
as that communicated to the Bavarian Nlinister, and
which had been officially noticed 'in the Neel/per ;
the substance of which certainly contained a wish or
disposition to violate the independence of Switzer-
land. With respell to the motion respeding the
Cape, he had no objedion; and with regard to I.otsi-
siana, ho believed a document could be produced in
the course of a few thrt'S to that etfed, through the
medium of that respedahle Gentleman the Minister
Plenipotentiary of the [suited States of America.
But he could not set• the connection it had with the
present subjed, for the fad of the cession of Loui-
siana was only known within these few days, and
subsequent to the termination of the discussions.
As to the suhjea of the French troops being quar-
tered in Holland, no report had been yet made.on
that head ; and with regard to an account of the
armaments in the ports of France and Holland, he
objeded to it as being productive of very great in-
convenience, which has already been the case, by
breaking up the channels of information. That
there were armaments no doubt could be entertain-.
ed ; hew far the nature of those armaments jus-
tified the Message, must stand on different grounds.
He had the pleasure to know, that what brought
'about the discussion at first was not an ad
of his Majesty's Ministers, but of the French
Government. We can see in the projet presented
to the Legislative Body by the First Consul, that
the armies of France should be raised to the war
establishment, and this was a measure accompanied
with threats against this country. This happened
a fortnight before the message. In what situation,
then, would his Majesty's Ministers be placed, he
would ask, if they could be warranted in not calling
rut the militia, and whether they could do so with-
out the King's message ? With regard to the ar-
mament, he thought the raisiug of the French w-
mies to the wer ~.atahliilmient a sufficient authority
in itself. He thought the papers laid before the
House calculated to give every neceseary informa-
tion on, the points in question, and on those grounds
opposed the last motion of the. Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. WHITiIItEAD followed in the same line
of argument pursued by Mr. Grey.
Lord CASTLERF:AGH urged the notoriety of
the armaments in the Mediterranean, as superseding
the necessity of the motion. It appeared in the pa-
pers laid before the House, that M. Calleyrand had
said those armaments might have been employed
against Egypt, had the First Consul been inclined
to make that use of them. After such an admission,
and seeing the general condted of France, it woe-.
have betrayed the grossest negligence to hare de-
layed to make preparations, and to leave this country
and Ireland, without a militia embodied in either,
exposed to invasion in case the armaments, the ex-
istence of which was admitted by M. 'f alleyrand,
should be applied to that purpose.
podor LAURENCE spoke at length in support
of the mention.
Mr. WINDRAM, in support of Mr. Grey's
motion, said, the Right Hon. Gentleman (the Chan-
cellos of t:ass Exchequer) had formerly dwelt much
upon his responsibility, and the roadiuess which he
should feel at a proper season, to give the House
the fullest information: Now, however, when the
einno sea time is conic, he chime, instead of a plenty to
furnish the House, by dealing hisinformation out in
a niggardly mannsr e the House atter being taught
to expect an abundance, could not be -expecteitto
ha content with such scatty diet. The Right Hon
Gentleman then proceeded to enforce Cie• arguments
alretuly urged upon the stone side. •
The .M ASTER of the IiOLLS• contended, that
general information was sufficient in the present
case, which he distmgnished fiom those cases in
whichparticular information was necessary. It was
sutfiCient for the House to know, generally, that
there are armaments fitting out in the ports. of ,
France and Holt ual, and of that information it was.
already in possassion.
Mr. GREY begged to be indulged with a few
observations; by way of reply.. With regard to some
of his motions he had nothing•to offer, because it
appeared to him they were acceded to. Vs'tth re:
sped to others, it had been stated that as no Oficial
communication could be made, therefi re . there
slanild be none at all. •The necessity of ,expla.
nation was admitted, tint it as Tattled to be
given, Ircause there was 114.11itrittett inft.lllll26oll on
the subjed. Unforttinate it waS; ttat upon.a sub,
jest affeting the lives and liberties of Milliouss that
we should have no other accounathaira verbal:se.

'

.• , •

TH.EATRE-RgrAL, DRURT-LANE.

TO-MORRI

EVENING witl ha performed the Tragedy of
PIZ A It It 0.
Pettus' ANa.—.Atalilut, Mr. Powc11; RAIN Mr. Pone, (hilt
Co 4 .lupearaticz in that Charzueter); Orezeinito, Mr. Dowton.
Con, Mrs. Young; Fernando, Master Baon.
SPANIARDS.--Piano, Mr. Barrymore; Alonzo. Mr. C.
Kemble; Almagro, Mr. Caulfield; Davila, Mr. De Camp;
Las CASZIS, Mr. Wroogltton ; Valverde, Mr. Painter ; Centinel,
Mi.. Holland. Elvira, Mrr. Powell.

TO which willobe added,
THE AVEDDING DAY.

THEATRE-ROTAL, Hifi-MARKET. ,
THIS EVENING will he presented
NO PRELUDE!
With A Prologue' by Mr Elliston.
A Itlr wliich ► Cornede4ied
LOVERS' IarEVS.
R.ron Wildenhaiti; Mr. Sevninur, (from the Theatre-
Royal, Norwich); Coma Catoei, Mr. Benjafield, (from the
Theatre-koyal. Cheltenham); Asthma, Mr. I. Palmer ; Frede-
rick, Mr. Elli.to3; Verdun, Mr. Mathews. Agatha FriLurg,
Mr. Cleland; Amelia Wiltlenhain, Mrs. Gibbs.
To which will be added
PEEPING TOM.
Peeping Torn (with the Littll. Farthing Reshlight) Mr.
Nlatlx.w.;; May.'r, Mr. Denman. Emma, Mts. Mathews.
To-morrow, Ways and Means.