The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-16 00:00:00

100

justice and imp.ilicv to A:ru ica. It was absurd to talk of putting down
America ; of punishing her I c sumption. It was impossible to put her
down. We Lad, in our hoping., cc rated her, but we could not crush
her in our aeeer Llad not evaugh transpired to convince Great Bri-
t.iin that s'os aho,da retie:ant a peace with America ? No, she was not
to he convinced even by practical expel ience; hut France, although she
liad acted with equal injustice for a time. 11' S wise enough to drop her
injustice f r toe purpase of benefitting by her policy. The Honourable
Gentleman then moved fur the pioduction ot the correspondence be-
twsen Mr. Pinckeer and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, from the
10,h of J. notify MO, and also for the correspondence between Mr.
Foster and Mr. Monroe, relative to the negotiations between this coun-
try and America.
Mr. SrS r:•.rnr:n was much surprised at the introduction of so many
sulijecot into the speech of the Lion. Gentleman. He was determined
to give' his dee;ded negative to the motion, upon the grounds that it
could be attended with no possible benef.t, lie denied that this country
had acted in any other manner than in a conciliatory manner towards
America. She had shewn her utmost zeal for the purposes of conci.
nation ; nay, she had almost descended to humiliation, in order to knot
her conciliating desiens into effect.—The measures of America were in
~ direct opposition to those of our Government. She had ahewn a spirit
of hostility to all the proposals and concessions which England had
made, and was willing to make; and she had insisted upon such preten-
sions as we could not, in conformity with the honour and credit of the
moion, recognize. The question was not whether we should go to
war with America, but v. hether America woold go to aa ar with us.
America Lad acted, but whether for the purpose of countenancing the
•hostility of France to this nation, or not, he could not say, in a manner
most insultio, to this nation, and most dercgatory to herself.
Mr. CUR We.N said he could not auffiently praise the dispassionate
manner in which the question had been brought. forward by his Hon.
Friend ; and, hi his opini.in, oeitlser the question itself, nor the method
in whiel. it had been introduced, gave the least room for the remarks of
the Right Hon. Geetlennin opposite. The country was now iu a situa-
tion which rendered a relaxation of the dsspotic policy pursued by NU-
nistera indispeoaably necessary to its existence ; awl no where was the
necessity more conapicuoas than in all that related to America. Surely
it could not in justice be contended, that a people had not a right to
carry whithersocver they pleased, their own produce, or the produce of
any other country, when they had once become owners thereof. Till
the days of the men now. in power, doctrines adverse to the exert se of
so ea'oable a tight had never been brooched; and he was happy to think,
tho/ the mein who lead acted iq'on it, with so ruinous a pertina,itg, would
rod be bog where he Now saw hint, would not long have the power
of making the country suffer whatsoever a precipitate judgment might
dictate. When he said he hoped nut to see the Right Honourable
Gentleman lung there, he was not actuated by any narrow party
feeling, by any hope of sharing that power aml_emolument which
he and his adherents would be compelled to relinquish, There was
hut one question which now excited the public attention which could
be said to rival our relations with America, and that was, the dis-
contents in Ireland; which, it must be allowed, it was the first duty
of the Legislature to appease; both these important questions were
treated with an equally pertinacious and an equally unconeihatory
-The CUANCELLOR of the EXCHEtU Pit spoke at great length against
the motion. He denied that the Orders in Council were the cause of
the present commercial distresses; the real cause was the continental
system ; but for the Orders in Council the distress would have been ten
times as great as it is. If he (Mr. Perceval) was of opinion the nego-
tiation was finally closed, he would not withhold the correspondence
moved for; but, however slight his hopes of accommodation might
be, while any remained, he would not be the person to extinguish
those hopes—on the contrary, he would maintain them as long as he
could. An Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Curvet:'; had more than once in the
course of his speech, expressed a hope that his Majesty's present Nlioia-
Teta were not likely long to bold that situation. Whatever golden
dreams might be indulged on this subject, he must say, that as far as
he knew any thing about the matter, 1w rather imagined that the Hon.
Gentleman would find, that his consolatory prospects would not open
upon him quite so pleasantly as he lrtd imagined.—(Hear, hear )—But
-it the system which the Hon. Gentlemao so strongly recommended,
were to be a system dictated to the Government of this country to pur-
sue, then, indeed, he should feel happy to quit his present situation, and
not to form a part ot any Administration which should pursue a course
so hostile, as he conceived, to the true interests of the country.
Mr. NVILBERFoRCE thought, that while negotiations were pending
between two countries, upon a subject of such great importance as
peace or Nv ar between those countries, it was improper to move for pa-
.pers that may, perhaps, by the discussion they would eventually lead
eu,lpreaeut an amicable adjustment of the existing differences. It was
not by discussing, and with all the aggravation of which they were
susceptible, the differences between the two countries, that conciliation
count be produced—it was not by putting, in the strongest point of
view, the injuries which they and this country had mutually suffered
and inflicted on each other, that an easy termination of differences
could be expected. With respect to the justice or the policy of the
Or.tess in Council, this was not the time for entering into that question ;
but he could not help calling to mind, that the Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Baring) himself had stated, in a publication of his upon this
subject, that the Orders in Council were once popular. They should

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FEB. 16.

nut, in his opinion, stiffer themselves so feel apprehension, even in the
event of war; but they ought, however, to.give up WI much as they comd
for peace; but• not so as to compromise the honour of the country by
any concession that could impair its dignity or its maritime power.
‘Var, he was convinced, would be productive of great eva to this
c buntry ; .:rid the evil to .\ merica, in such an event, would not be less,
He was convinced that his Howni..ible Friend (the Charcellor of the
ExchequtT) would 1w influenced 115 much as any nian by tne considera-
tion of those evils that mutt follow from a breach of this kind, and
that there was no sact ifice in which he would not cottette to avert t.
Fur himself, he would not consent to sacrifice the maritime
.or mi.
mercial prot-perity of the coentl'y to the fears of-any consequences that
may result from war. This prosperity was necessary to ate ex:ositisnt;:ye
of the country. There was nothing he desired more than that the pes•
pie of America should be convinced that the disposition of this
was by no means hostile to their interests and prosperity ; and he should
bs sorry if any thing that may pass in the course of public discus.
sion, where the feelings are sometimes too strongly excited, and he inter.
preted by the people of that country, or mistaken for t.te more de-
liberate feelings of the heart. He would again repeat, that there was
nb sacrifice which he would not make to avert the evil of war, Lot
he could not but express his astonishment at lit aring it asserted, that
every thing was fair on the part of Amerita, and every thing oppressive
on the part of this country. He hoped hostility would not arise front
the present diffortstices. They could not derive advantage from the els.
pression of America, and America could not be a gainer by the rain
of this coe!ntry. It was a bulwark for the preservation of her liberties,
' and he was desirous that Britain should be no longer understood by
the United States as pursuing her own. interests to the rub) of tLeirs.
On these grounds he could nut vote for the motion.
Mr. Ho-rent N soN thought the subject very important. He disagreed
with both the Hon. Gentlemen who had last spoken. So far from
1 placing any reliance un Ministers, he completely agreed with the.
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread), that the business should he taken
entirely out of their hands. He thought that war was preferable to
humiliation ; and if war could not be avoided without disgrace, that
war should he determined on in preference to contempt. He could rot
put any confidence in the Minister ; lie did not think him it for leis
I' place. His Hon. Friend, Mr. Whitbread, did not care who was the
I i tirst mover of those Orders in Council, but lie opposed them on the
111 ground-that they were unjust. He (Mr. Hutchinson) did not wish that
1 the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, or his associates, or any other
patched up Administration, should continue to aet upon principles
i which be was convinced would shake the Monarchy and the country
I to their foundations.
Mr. A. BARING supported the motion.
Mr. Wnr rbe cAn replied to the various arguments that had been ad.
I vanced, and (alluding to what had fallen front Mr. I'erceval) observed,
that, 'or himself personally, he cared not if the Right Hun. Gentleman
remained in office ; but, when he reflected on his country, he felt the
deepest regret, for it brought to his mind a train of the most painful
i
; recollectious; and. if the Right Hon. Gentleman's statement were nut
I, mere vapour, it was ominous for the Empire :—From an Administva-
i' tion, conducted as his had been, the country could expect no benefit.
The House then divided, when there appeared—Fur the motion, 9.3;
against it, h:6 ; majority, 103.
. :1

TRIDAY, FEB. 14.
WAYS AND MEANS.
The CHAN r molt of the Excarotrxx made his propositions fen
funding _Exchequer Bills. He stated the terms upon which he proposta
funditu: those Bills to be the following, viz :—For every 1001. in Exche-
quer Bills, the holder should receive 1061. in the Navy 5 per Cents. On
the 7th of' February, when this proposal was originally made, the 5 per
Cent-, were at 94, which would give to the accepter 1011. los. 3J. for
every 1001. funded, besides a us of the interest up to the 9th
of March, amountit g to 7s. Bd. on each 1001. making in the whole
11. 17s. Ild .per ceftt. bonus; of course the 5 per Cents. had been some-
what depressed since the proposition had been made. They were this
clay 931 ; at that price the bonus experienced by the funding would he,
not 11. 17s. 1 Id. but 17s. 7d. which, however, he considered %votilkl he
sufficient advantage to induce the holders of Exchequer Bills to the
amount of 14 millions (the sum to which he meant to limit the a.Te-pt.
ance) to fund. It wotild be found advantageous to the Public at sem*
future period, that Exchequer Bills were fanded in a Stock bearing so
high an interest, especially in the event of a peace. At the same time
he admitted that the interest of the present times should not be sacri•
ficed to that of posterity. But to prove that the case was as he described,
he showed what a burden the funding of Exchequer Bills in the 3 in-
stead of the 5 per Cents. would be to the Public. To give to the holder
an equal advantage, they should allow ICOI. 7s. Bd. for every
funded. He concluded by moving his first Resolution, limiting the
amount to be funded to 14,000,000 i.
Sir T. ToturoN stated, that the amount to he funded this year %vas
greater by two millions than that which bad been funded last year. lie
did not see any probability that the object of the Right lion. Gentleman
would be attained.
After some observations from Mr. H. SMITH and Mr. BARING, theSMITH
Resolution was agreed to.
The other Resolutions in the Committee- were then agreed to, and
the reprtordcmd to be brought up on Monday.

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