The National Register.
London, England, 1808-02-07 00:00:00

AFFIIRS OF• (OPINTT (rN.

MR. G. Povvivrit-, agreeable to a previous notice, rose and
said he had an imnortant and anxious dot y to perform, a dins
whirl he hoped would teal to disclose the circumstance; which
induced his Nl...jest:, to direct his nr.val and military fm ce against
the capital of an tioncfcieling neutral State. Ills Majesty of
it to himself and all Lurniw, to give a frank exposition of the
motives!: which led hint to violate the la Ws of neutrality.
was well maim-stood that the disgraceful expedition was not un-
dertaken by the advice of his Majesty. but with other views,
and perhaps interested motives, which Ministers only could
explain. It was not the c.induct of Denmark which led to it,
hut an anticipation that France would, at some time or other,
compel that State to join in the common cause again,t this
country. At the time Admit'al Gambier entered the Sound,
Denmark dreaded uo harm from this country, conscious of not
having catered into any engagement wth the French Emperor.
Three hundred and tifty of her ships were in iliVerent British
ports, with cargoes amounting to tw 0 millions of ri ;
and when the Danish subjects got alarmed by the rumours
spread, respecting the destination of the armament, they ap-
plied to the Danish Court, and received a reply, which at once
allayed their fears, namely, that Great Britain had no such in-
tention, as both Courts were then on the best possible tinder-
-standing. Was it to be supposed that Demnark ould risk her
most valuable colonies, her commerce, and ships, and every
thing el,•edear to her existence, merelyto gratify the wish of the
French Heiler. t it. at tile time the negociation between the
C mrt of Denial* and the Emperor of France was sii,•••,),ed to
be going forward, the former had, according to the tale lotion
of the Right lion. Gentleman opposite to him, (Mr. Pe VeV aI)
sixty-live thousand men in Zealand and holstein. to iipioese all
the force France could bring against her, therefore it was mo-
rally impossibie she could be compelled to enter into the views
or i:rance against this country ; on the other hand. as a proof
that Denmark did not intend to join in the common cause, her
sailors were at the time all abroad, co.isequently hernavv could
not he manned without them. He would spare them the trouble
of replying, and boldly affirm that they hail not the slightest
grownd fur impeaching the good faith of Denmark? itched
Alinisters to produce any paper which would convince the
House of the intention of itussis to influence Denmark to de-
clare against this country. The Hon Member then muved,
" That an humble Address be presented to his Ziajesrv, that
he would be graciously pleased to give directions that the sub-
stance and dates of all information, sent by our Officers or Agents
front the coast of Copenhagen, last sear, respecting the Danish
fleet, the repairing, improving, and maiming of the same, to-
gether with all account, that were transmitted relative to the
improvement thereof, and received by his Majesty's Ministers,
should be laid before the Douse."

Mg. Si:cur:l.lHl' C.I NNING was well ct-nyinced that Ministers
had obtained what they tle,ervesl, the thanks of their country,
fur the succes of the expedition against Copenhagen; as that

FETI. 7.

enterpri,e find been in a great degree the salvation of the eoun-
try. Ile was as anxious as the Right lion. Gentleman hitusdf
not to act upon the new morality attempted to be laid don n. and
were thew any Gentlemen who xeemed inclined to that S‘sll'lll
of morality, it was the Right Hon. Gen I2lllall himscil.l%l'l,,
upon the present occasion had given it splendid example of his
attachment to it. It Ysa, he doubted not, a i•incere mnrality,
nay, even a Roman morality. The House had been eel!ed
to d iseu-s a matter, invoking, as it was said, Ode .'„isgrace
of Ministers, but t hey by an eminent and strong -east' cif
the necessity m bleb impelled the enterprise, had the ,atistactlim
of knowing that it had been ably- and sueeessfully performed.
( Hear? hear! from the Ministerial side. ) lie %%Ai fully answered
that Ministers had received no hoard of glury from their prede-
cessors, and there could he no comparison between the snrcess
which crowned the Cl:petal:igen enterprise, when contrasted
with whit had been done by the late Administration. The fleet
of Denmark had fallen into our ha ml we could not Worn that
spoil, and it was now attempted to condemn the spoilers, and
insisted upon, that the spoil out In be returned. He agreed with
the i:;ht Hon. Gentleman that if there was any injustice" in the
seizure Of the Daiiish tleet, that might not only to be
marked but repaired. It Weer was, or had been, imputed to
Denmark, that she had to chine whether she would go to war
with us. Snell a principle had never been maintained; neither
would it have been at all neeesiarv. It had been said, that the
weakness of Denmark was a snflicient,institication of the num-
• sure, but that leas not the ear ; uei Clot was it true that we had
the hearts of the !)dues se WI 'l5. It was impossible to conceive
for one moment, after the defeat of the \ orthetn Confederacy,
that Denwark could ever have been with us. On the contrary,
from that neriod the feelings of Denmark had been hostile to a
degree against this country. Here the !tight Hon. Gentleman
-fated the circumstances attend in the Northern Confederacy ia
17$0, and in 1802. Since Coe latter, tie league was to the same
effect, mil more firmly hitter!, and wire vigoromi, by the strong
emnpulsion of France. The Danish forees it ere, io IWlla, root-
' pilled to retreat from the frontiers of Holstein, which had givea
rise to a calumny against this country, that they had so retreated
at oar eypress solicitation. For that, however, there was not
the most distant fowl:1;16one A tier that Prince Nlnrat was sent
by Bonaparte to Coe Kitt:; of Swetb.ni, entreating that Alimarch
to make common cans" s, ith Ih'rance, and promising him, in that
event, Norway, which belonged to Denmark. The King of
.'n mien instantly communicated this Mier 'to the Prince Royal
of DetimarL, and ()tiered him '20,004i troops for the defence of
wenerons offer the Prince Royal refmed, be-
lieving, he could rely on the a -.trances of France ; and he did
more; he concealed from England the fact of the French Wet-
to hint of Norway. Having stated these and other points, the
Right Hon. Gentleman appealed to the House whether or not
it would have been Ve ISC nr pendent in Ministers to have relit
lin the fidelity MO iiriopendence of Denmark, especially after
the narninz: she had received. \l r. Canning went at great
length into the eencral policy of the attack at Copenhagen,
which ine justified on all it= grounds. After some further re-
mark:, he conielnded b.' gis Mg the Resolution his most decided
and hearty negative.

Mit. IF/ N a i%I replied in a Orme; vein of irony, in which he
ridiculed the I ecrimination of Mr. Canini:, and threw out strong
sarcasms on stage effect, grand steps, gestures, and tricks of NI)11"r.
His arguments a.gainst Ministers turned chiefly on the violation
of the law of nations.

The debate was afterwards protracted to a very great length.
On the part of Mini-tern the chiet. Speakers mere Nlr. NI Hiles,
Mr. roster, Lord Palmerston, Mr. Morris. Mr. Lyttleton. Lola
G. 1.. Gower, Lord ('astlereagh, Sir Charles Price, and Vr.
Davies Cede'). They were answered prinvipally by Mr. Whit-
bread, Mr. Bathurst, and Mr. T. Grow ill.'.

I'he House divided on Mr. Pon-onhy's motion,
Aye 3 10S—Noes -253—Majority for Minister 6 145.
Adjourned at half-past six o'cloeic.

TIIVIISDA SAI. 4.
lirt inr.4urnm brought up the Report of the Committee of
11'as and Means. The several Resolutions were agreed to, aid
Bills ordered to be brought in pursuant to the same.