The National Register.
London, England, 1808-01-24 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

56

Because, The late attack upon Copenhagen, in a season of
profound peace with the Crown and People of Denmark, and
immediately following the solemn Declaration by the Crown
Prince, of his resolution to maintain his neutrality, antif to con-
skier 'suss, nation as an enemy which should seek to disturb it,
would, without somejost caw, which in Otis case is who; y
unsupported by proof, he a most manifest and unprincipled de-
parture front the w bole s vstem of moral policy and just ice,w h ich
the. British Government had, as above, professed to act upon,
het-mown as any contempt or violation of public law by the
Government of France, though it might release (rent Britain
from all observance of it, as far as regarded such offending loin-
emoild nut pootibly destroy or affect its protectit c sanc-
tions in her intereourses with friendly and peaceable stases. On
the contrary, it ought to have invested the Law of Nations with
a more binding and sacred obligation, since the professed object
and j:mti flea (ion of our war with France at that very minaret
Irng to restore to a suffering world the good faith and security
ieh had been lost by a contempt .n' its dominion.
liersuse, information of a projected confederacy between
France and Denmark, assumed, without evidence, to have been
comanmicated to Ministers through channels which called, ne
their parts, for inviolable secrecy, might he a foundation for ac-
quittimar them front blame, if the question before the House had
been the propriety of their acquittal or condemnation, yet it
cannot possibly justify, in the absence of all proof, an Address
to•his Majesty, pronouncing their attack upon Copenhagen to
bet an act of intliitensible duty; becauot, giving credit to the
deelaratititis of Minister,, that they hod informations of such
projected confederacy, it is impossible for this House to know
whether they ought to have been acted upon to so dreadful an
extent, w ithoot having before it, most precisely and distinctly,
the specific m•ture of such communications so as to he able to
estimate the credit due to them, not only from the fates them-
selves, hut front the situations and characters of the persons by
ho,n they were made.
Ths condurt, besides, of in the whole transaction,
is in manifest opposition to this principle of the attack.—The-
maGe such cuarge upon Dentiork when before Copenhagen,
nor evtu pretended to have invaded her with the cause of war.
Tie it language upon the spot, and even in the Address proposed
!cis Majesty, is the ,language of regret, a language utterly
inconsistent with the vindication of a proceeding, which would
have been as mild and forbearing against an enemy, as it was
bar:larous and treacherous against a friend. The position also
of fseumark, when the assault was made upon her, is the
strevest evidence to resist tile presumption of an understanding
w:tti Prance. Her army was in Holstein, which France was
menacing, whilst Zealand was left defenceless, and the ships
dismantled, at a moment when the consciousness of a treaty or
federacy must have suggested to all the contracting or con-
fed( rating par ies, the necessity of concentrating the whole
force of Denmark, to deft n I h, r capitol, am d au secure her fleet.
Bec:musC, No evidence whatever has been laid before the
nous:, to estahlish auy hostile confederacy between Denmark
end France, nor ally design on the part of the former to depart
from •he strictest neutrality ; on the contrary, the above-men-
tioned solemn declaration of the Crown Prince to the British '
Minister, ought to have been received by his Majesty's servants
a, the pledge of a firm resolution to maintain neutrality ; and
because nothing short of a hostile design in the Government of
Demaark (maid justify the demand of her fleet, or the bombard-
ment of Copenhagen to enforce the surrender of it.
l'ecause, it was completely in the power of Great Britain to
have protected the Danish Fleet front any hostile attack of
Prance, which destroys the pretence of such an indispensible
necessity as eoald alone justify even the slightest trespass upon
a peaceable amid unoffending state.
Beta' se, Still Lssuming, in the absence of all evidence to the
en:iv:try, that the Govermoent of Denmark was faithful to
her neutrality, no speculation of the probable fall of her fleet
iuto the possession or power of France, could possibly justify
its hostile seizure by Great Britain. Such a principle would
be utterly subversive of the first elements of Public Law, as
being destructi“., of the independaner of weaker States, in as
much as it would create a jurisdiction in the stronger nation
to substitute their own security nott convenience for the general
rule, and invest them also with the 4:ole privilege of determining
the nee:alma; upon which they might consider them to he en-
dangered ; and because, to justify the attack and plunder of a
we ik unoaending Power, upon the assumption that a stronger
Belligerent might otherwise attack and plunder her, would be
to erect a new Public Law upon the foundations of dishonour
and violence, waling the tyranny of one nation a warrant for

JA N. 21.

substituting the dominion of oppression for the sacred obliga-
ions of morality, humanity, and justice.
B - cause, Supposing it to have bccn not only probable but even
^ertaiu, that France could hale succeeded in carrying away in
t e n inter the ships and stores from Copenhagen, but w ithout the
c msent of Denmat k, faithful to her neutrality, the iniquity of
that act, in sound policy, independently of all considerations of
mist iee, ought to have been left to the French Government to per-
p slra:e; because the carcases of the ships would ha% e hero the onl v
f nit of an act of the deepest atrocity, whilst the indignation eat
a brave and generous people, now too justly directed against
Great Britain, would then hale been pointed against France ;
an 1 Denmuk, with the protection of our fleets, might have kept
ovn the Baltic to our commerce, and extended our maritime
mins of restoring the tranquillity of the world.
Because, Until this attack upon Copenhagen shall reedy°
vindication by proof of its justice, or condemnation, in Bleat).
snee of it, from the Parliament of great Britain, she has lost
er moral station in the world, since the very system of wrong,
and violence, which she has so long confederated Europe to do-
roy, at the expellee of her blood and resources, will have been
established and confirmed by her own example.
Beeawc, A whole nation ought not in the mean time to be
diThonoured, nor its immemorial characteristic brought into
question for the acts of NI ini,ters ; and becauw it is the duty of
those subjects, who, by the Constitution of the Government,
have the high privilege of perpetuating, their sentiments upon
the public records of their country; to vindicate themselves
from the imputation of haysng acquiesced in acts of the great.,
est injustice. ERSKINE.

PROVINCIALS.

~-

LEEDS MEET G.—On Tuesday last a meeting of the Mer-
chants, Manufacturers, and Inhabitants of Leeds and the :1(1j:i-
-f-eat neighbourhood, w•ts held in the great area of the %Ned
cloth flall, pursnant to public notice, for the purpose of peti-
tin ling Majesty for Peace. The meeting was compo:,ed
chiefly of the manufacturers in that part of the country, and
consiwd of between 8 and 10,000 persons. Mr. John Firth
was called to the Chair.

The Chairman addressed the Meeting in a neat and appropriate
speech, disclaiming all party views or motives, stating the on-
Jed of the meeting to be solely for the general and national
good of the country at large, and exhortin the Meeting to quiet
and peaceable demeanor. lie then proceeded to read several
Resolutions, expressive of the feelings of the manufacturers, rize.
Mr. fleicewell, of Wakefield, read a draft of the intended
Petition, iaiubstance nearly as folloa s :
The Petitioners assure his Majesty 411 their attachment to his
person, an the principles of Government which placed hits
Majesty and his august Family on the Throne; and represent
to his Majesty the distressed state to which great numbers of
our merchants and manufacturers were reduced by the long con-
tinuance of the war, depriving them of tnreign markets,
whereby many workmen are left without employment, and the
smaller manufacturers unable to provide for their families; and
they express their apprehension of these calamities being h,
creased by a war with America. They allude to the heavy
taxes and addition to the national debt, and the increased annual
expenditure of the country ; while the power and territories of
the enemy have been enlarged, and our allies have deserted us to
seek his friendship and protection.
The Petitioners further express their fears, that should the
war continue, many of the former allies of thisicountry will he
drawn into closer connection with France, and make amity
with this country very difficult to be resumed. It implores his
Nlajesty, as the father of his people, to adopt such measures as
may appear expedient to restore to us the blessing .of peace,
and concludes with assuring his Majesty of their 'loyalty, et-
tichment, add support, should the restoration of peace be re-
tarded by any demand at the enemy, incousistent with the ho-
nour and security of the realm, &c..ke.
The Petition was heard with approbation, and immediately
afterwards the Meeting dissolved.
Neither Mr. Fowkes, Lord Milton, Mr. Wilberforce, nor any
leading Gentlemen of the county, were present at the Meeting.
JA N. 20.—This day Lieut. Halifax, of the Royal
Lancashire Militia, whose engagement to walk thirty miles per
day, for twenty surcessive days, has completed his laborimis
undertaking, and he was ushered into this city in triumph, pre-
ceded by the Regimental Rand of Music, and accompanied by
an immense concourse at people, both on horseback and oaf's*
who celebrated his victory with repeated hozzas.