The National Register.
London, England, 1815-03-26 00:00:00

I 9ct

THE NATIONAL REGISTER;

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY. MARCH 20.

THE CONGRESS.

Mr. WITITBRZAD made his promised motion respecting forriga
affairs-, to enable Lord Castlereagh to vindicate the proceedings of
Congress, to dear up many misunderstandiogs, and Witte the ea-
lomtaies that had gone abroad respecting the decisions of that body.
The Noble Lord who was the particular object of the present mo-
tion, had been pursuing a great and brilliant career for many sem-
evediug months. Selected at first by his friends to repair to Paris,
the Noble Lord not only carried with him their confidence, but also
that of his political opponents, and that confidence never would have
been interrupted tbr one moment, nor would one question have been
peeked during the Noble Lord's absence, had not he (Mr. W.) and
the Opposition in that House, beheld with astonishment troops
marching into various parts to take possession of ill& petqlent sta'cs
and to transfer them to new Governors. Such an abandonment of
thatmoderate tone, and of those great principles which the Allied
Soverriene avowed in the Frankfort and other proclamations (Whine
the wend, as they did, that they fought not tier conquest, but to se-
cure the liberties of the Continent and mankind), appeared to be in-
t, r'y irre.concilvable. It seemed as if they no sooner got him don n
whom they had conspired to destroy, than, suck was their desire for
ttioliation and rapine, they instantly began to proceed in the foot-
steps of him whom, by their moderation, they had overthrown. Had
!he Allied Sovereigus died at Montmartre, after they had accom-
plished so much by the magnanimity of their conduct, and the mo-
deration of their tanpwage, they would have had the most glorious
reentbas of any Riders that had ever appeared in the world ; but
since, their paltry trafficking conduct, their abardonment of every
lefty principle, their violatioos of plighted treaties, had spread dis-
gust and discontent in every quarter. Such were the causes that
would give strength to him, who, for the time, was destroyed by that
mad ambition which led hisn to Moscow. To retrieve Isis character
ared that of the country, the Noble Lord had to state what share the
Ministers of England, in the name of England, had taken in the par-
tition of Saxony, the confirmed subjugation of Poland, the Usurpa-
tions of Austria in the Italian States, and the convicting treaties
with Murat and the• King of the Two Sicilies. Previous to conclud-
iog, Mr. Whitbread wished to advert to the state of France. He (Mr.
Whitbread) had always been of opinion, that the late Ruler of
France had been raised to his height of power by his enemies, and
to himself alone had owed his fall. Should lie now be restored to his
throne, it would be from the conduct of the Allies themselves.—
Boonaparte had complained of the violation of the treaty of Fon-
taiisblean, and it was asserted thr.t his pension had never been paid,
nor the stipulated provision made for his wife and son and he had
stated that a resolution bad been formed to move hint from the
island. If that was true, what an. appeal could he make to the
fteliogs of mankind ! For Louis XVIII. he (jr. W.) entertained
the most sincere respect. Since Isis accession to power, lee had
behaved with a moderation and feeliag which did him the heighten
honour. Whatever had been done onside had been the act of his
Ministers ; whatever of good lead proceeded from himself. Which-
weever of the contending parties should succeed, he trusted peace'
would prevail. He hoped the Rearbonst if they confirmed on the
throne of their ancestors ; Would sit more firm from the storm that
had passed over them ; and it 4.aon6parta AO* prevail, he tinged

MARCH 26.

that he might in the sehool of adversity, have been taught a lecion
Of moderation that might influence his future cnndnct, and ;mu"
him to cultivate the arts of peace ; and that in future, the happiness
of subjects might be coucnitcd as well as that of their-sovereigns.
The Hon. Gentleman concluded a speech of upwards of two bolus,
by moving.—

" That an humble Address be presented to the Prince Regent,
that he would he graciously pleased to order to be laid before the
House an account of what progress had been made at the Congress
towards a final arrangement, what transfer and annexation of terris
tory had taken place, and what other steps had been taken "
Lou] CASTLEREAGH, in a speech which becupied four hours in
delivery, entered into a general and able justification of the whole
proceedings of Congress. He in the first place protested solemly
against the new system of any Gentleman taking upon him to
pre4irme disgrace, dishonour, and profligacy in ourselves and our
allies upon garbled documents and illicit statements, made to assert
ta hat never could be avowed in the eyes of Europe; from which this
dilemma obviously aroTe, that either a premature disclosure must be
made of pending transactions, or imperfect data must be rceeivcd,
which must necessarily lea) to error. The Noble Lord said. the
first object be should mention would be the Slave Trade ; lie would
now merely say, that those powers who signed the Treaty of Pails
bad pledged themselves to abolish the trade as soon as they con:d
possibly do it, consistently with the tranquility of their subjects 4
and they would not consider their pledges as redeemed until they
had effected the final obolition of the traffic. With respect to the.
general arraugementa of the Congress, its first object was the power
of Austria and Proa:sia, for the purpose of maintaining a barrier
against France ; What had been done no doubt partook of that bus
perfection which had attached to all human works ; but it would be
hereafter seen whether this object had been effected without
injustice or impolicy. With respect to Genoa, on which so much
had been said, Lord Bentiuck had no authority to promise that
people a free Constitution, - nor did I►is proclamation in fact do any
such thing; he only spoke of throwing off the French yoke.
Austria will not consent to the Independence of Italy. The onion.
of Genoa to Piedmont was agreed on before the Sovereigns left
Paris, and in that anion he considered he acted wisely. The Genoese
did not raise a hand in support of Lord William Bentinck and the
troops he commanded., They had no claim whatever upon any
ground of co-operation ; it was a simple nnconditioual surrender—a,
complete conquest, in the full intent and meaning of the law of
nations. No other motive but the public repose of Europe had
dictated its annexation to Piedmont.—lu regard to Saxony
that country might fairly i►ave been given to Prussia, by
every principle of right and justice; from a regard, however, to
the family of the King of that conntry, and to the feeling which it
might create, he had resisted the claim. He should content himself
with saying that every effort was used to relieve the Poles from,
their local difficulties ; and that consistently with connexions witt
other nations, they should be governed as far av possible in the cha-
racter of Poles ; their preserved and their political institutions
made, as far as possible, congenial to their national character and
sentiments.' Upon this point, however, lie would beg the House to
suspend its judgment for the present. The annexation of Belgium
to Holland was, in the opinion of all Europe, the best mode of
erecting a barrier on that side. The old artificial barrier was found
wholly ineffective, and the people of gollautkaud the Netlittlaaas.