The National Register.
London, England, 1813-04-04 00:00:00

PETITIONS 'FOII. PEACE.

Lord HP.LLAND stated, that lie hod certain Petition% to present
on a sul.ject of the highest importance, and he trusted, that as he
did eot mean to give any; 'toilet of a motiou for taking these pen-
Gina onto considaration, their Lordships would, in justice to the
petitioners, and the humble individual who addressed them, give
him le7.ve to make a few observations. He most fully and entirely.
comairred Nvith the petitioners, in thinking that the 4 'StOratloll at
the blessings of peace was, after the 6;4(711-lees that had been already
made, peculiarly desirable at the present moment ; and that to ap-
Farauee, at least, there had 'aeen opportunities tier
neeociation for the accomplishment of that ohjee. But still these
might he only appearenees, and theretnre be was not prepared to
say that his Ilaijesty's Government had been actually guilty of cul-
pable negligeeee in nest taking advautave of the proper opportimo
tios rot. entering into negociatiou. These petitions proceeded
solely front the spontaneous impulse of the petitioners theniselvas.
"tsho arts had been used,—no suggestions had been made to procure
them. He had even ventured to dissuade them from offering them
at all to Parliament; because, though he agreed with them in the
cpiuions expressed in their petitions, lie was doubtful whether the
presenting them to Parliament would he' the best means of pro-
eonieg their own object. The reasons he gave for his doubts
been considered by the Petitioners; and, after mature deliberation,
they had again requested him to present them. lie 'tow, thou,
presented these petitions ; and had to state, that the languaee was
not only respecttid, but highly sensible and proper. The Pt (loners,
though they neve" the great sacrifices which had already been
made, stated, at the same, that they were perfectly willing to make
stir: greater sacrifices, it' the pretensions of the enemy should be
pitch as this country could not, in consistency with its honour and
interest, accede to : but for the reason which he had already
mentioned, he did not feel it his duty to fix a day for
moving the taking of these Petitions into consideration. lf,
indeed, he could believe that the Ministers entertained such
mad mid extravagant notions as that of eonipiefdy cridshing the
wriwt Prince at the head of the French Government,—if he could
believe that they had in any degree sanctioned a certain paper and
proclamation,—their Lordships would understand what he meant
when lie alluded to it, (probably the Proclamation of Louis XVIII.)
--if lie could believe that they well, resolved to make no peace, ex.
eept on the ground of wresting from the French the flints of coif
years exertion,—then, indeed, be should say, that it was time to
tieing the subject forward in Parliament. Not having, however,
any particular reason to believe, that the Ministers did insist upon
any such extravagant pretensions, he di4l not think it proper to
carry the matter farther at present. There was no rEt'lleilllniti but
oaelit to shed the last drop of his blond rather than accede to any
noels pretensions; and there was tio trielishinan that ought to shed
ally blood in supporting them. He should have dismissed the sub-
ject with this observation, were it not that there was one point
upon which he was axiom to give some explanation. lii a discus-.
:ion which had taken place relative to the affairs of the Penin-
sula, the opinion which he had given had been very much misun-
derstood ; and that, too, in quarters where he was particidarly de-
siyona.not to be misunderstood. He had been at ail times of opi-
nion that the independence of Spain ought to be supported undar
that Government which they themselves chose—namely, that of
Ferdinand VII. and their own National Cates. Having been
always of that opinion before, he saw nothing in the present ciretun!
stances of the Continent to make him Aimee it. lie desired, there-
fore, that it mighthe understood, that he was decidedly favourable
to the policy of maintainiug the independence of Spain in the
manner he had stated—of maintaining it by every warlike exertion
that could possibly be made, It. oecessary —while he thought that if it
could he effected by negociation, it would be proper to make some
sacrifices for that purpose. It' this was the course vii.ich he had
always thought to be recommended bv sound policy, the case was
much stronger, when the faith of the nation was engaged. He
eoucluded by 'lmaging several Petitious flow difiereut places iu