The National Register.
London, England, 1815-05-28 00:00:00

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twroty Hr was reads to admit that the treaties were more ecr
mica' rim, many thers. But besides the five millions, two millions
and a half were required for our deficiency in troops, and he admit.
whilst also to be economic, though to pay in money and not in men
was n. t adapted to increase our strength. His Noble Friend thought
the war would be a short one, and if he (Mr. B.) were of the same
opittin, Ii should not oppose the vote of a subsuly. If the Conti-
nental Powers required a subsidy in the first year of the war, they
would want another subsidy next year. If that were to be effected
by loans, the ban consequences of such a practice would be progres-
sive Had the Continental Powers been so fully impressed with those
woral feelings which his Noble Friend seemed to suppose, they
would not have deserted the cause for want of pecuniary aid, pant.
cularly as we might justly have pleaded the expences of a long war.
Hs had not the sante fears with the Noble Lord on the subject of the
Allies treating with Buonaparte; and if they were able to furnish a
trillion of men, they could not be in such want of assistance from us.
Buonaparte might, from the altered state of his affairs, have been
found more capable of -maintaining the relations of peace than when
we treated wirli,him at Chatillor. The invasion of a foreign Power
owt increase the power of any sovereign, be he who he might ;
every confederacy containe a peinciple Of dissolution, and in former
periods our Allies had frequently turned against us. If we had now
fur our ally the magnanimous Alexander, we had formerly the magna-
Informs Paul (Hear heat 1) Almost all our Allies had been pane.
gyr•Fed in their turn, and almost all .of them had deceived us ; for at
tree close t the year. in the commencement of which his magnani.
sorer had been so highly moiled, Paul had been charged with
treachery for detaiaing our ships. It would appear that Great Bri-
tain was to pay for every thing, and he had no doubt that the subsidies
would last as long as the alliance, and therefore could not agree to the
vote.
Mr. Beattie protested himself feiendly to the general measure of a
subsidy
Mr. $ HINNIT7 arraigned, in strong terms, the different procla•
man, ns that had been addressed at different times to different nations,
and L haracterised the confederacy as a conspiracy against a particular
country. and of the governor against the governed.
Mr. F DOUGLAS stated the country to be in a state of war, not
from Any fault of our own, but from that of the enemy, as France
had r nets to demand a re-construction of a treaty to which she had
formerly acceded. No rational hope of peace could be entertained till
the ext.rparion r t the military system of France.
Mr. W HITIREAD (who rose amid load calls far the question) should
detain the House but a very short • ime He thought two Hon. Gen.
tlemen •1), old have voted with the minority of last night ; one of
whom was she Hon. Member who had opened the debate that even-
ing NI onkeS). It was plainly the intention of the war to embark
all the powers of Europe in a contest against Buonaparte, and to pay
all, in pfc.portion as they concurred in that attempt. For himself
he coui not have given his vote for the war last night, and withhold
it from ttie part of- a subsidy to-night. (Hear, hear !) The subsidy
he thought a moderate or e, and the bargain about r he Dutch fortresses
was not i.ew. However it might be disguised, the restoration of the
House. of Bourbon was the real object of the war ; and, it was dis-
guised probably from an apprehension that the country would not go
along with Ministers ,orauch an object.,though it might against Boo-
esparto. The Noble Lord had produced .on paper a million and
eleven thousand :pep, and if Buonaparte had no men. Austria, Rus-
sia, and Prussia had neither money nor credit. It had been said that
Wt ha,d been going to strike a sudden blow f,r the last two months,
and it now appeared that we were to wait two months longer. Should
the attack on France fail, would there not be a necessity fay a grant of
an additive! subsidy, and he thought the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer somewhat too sanguine ill limiting the duration of the war
to a sintgle tam, aiii. If kuonapArte fell in battle, would all the soldiers
be disbanded ? Subsidies mu,st be voted much larger than those now
proposed. :old he was surprised' that the Hon. Gentleman who had
voted for the war 'should refuW his assent to the subsidy; Austria
had, at a former period, borrowed a loan which she had never repaid,
and the country must now be 'saddled with a Dutch loan because
Russia refuses to pay it. It was by means of that loan that the Em-
press Catherine had moved her armies when she took possession of
Politic!, and this country must pay the interest of that money with
which she had wrested-Okzacov.. from the Ottoman Porte, arxl which
had led to such scenes of horror. The Hon. Gentleman continued to
argue agAinst the resolution. Against the madness of the approaching
war he would not only protest, but he would divide the committee, in
order to vote against the grant.
Mr. C. Garin? strenuously supported the resolution. It had been
said that we had recently expended 26 millions in subsidies, but it
had not bsen stated, as it ought to have been, what results theist sub-
sidies had produced ; he felt sure the present exertions in the common
"tasusFW"sci ''p4Pproved by the House and the country. •
Sir J NEWPORT spoke against the subsidy • 'and on the point of in-
teffs'ic.ce, Arew'a parallel between the conduct of Louis XIV. with
regard to 1\• ilium 111. and this couptry, as related to Btionaparte.
Yr• STLwitaT WOitTptY denied that the case of King William
sate upon the prnetit subject. He had doubted how he should vote
this question up to aWe pstioci ; but whfa p.e Ur furor, 01.

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one mind, cr,uld he say that E inland ought ro stop the whole alliance ;
he would vote most cordially for the resolution.
Mr W. Ssturu declared he must pose th. subsidy.
Mr. P Moos: rose, amidst cries of question, so loud and s long
continued, at to precinde us from hearing him.
The Cotninittee.then divided :—For the Resolution, 160 ; against it,
h.—Majority, 143.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House
Adjourned.

TRAGICAL CATASTROPHE.

COUNCIL OF WAR.

PA pig, MAY 19 1815 —The deliberations on the attar
of Captain Serres de St. Claire were continued this day, and
terminated by a catastrophe which the numerous slier-aims
were far from expecting.
The President opened the sitting by addressing sonic re-
flections to the accused, on the improbability of his decla-
rations; afterwards the Recorder expressing how painful
was the task which he had to per form, en.ered firmly into an
examination of the charges laid to the account of the
accused. He skilfully seized eve'y suspicion, indication.
comparing ail presumptive evidence, and con( !tided
that the accused was guilty of the homicide committee on
the courtesan Kersemaker, otherwise called the hand ,sme
Dutch girl, and that he had committed it wilfully and with
premeditation.
Mr. Bet ryer, Jun immediately commenced his defence
with a degree of emotion, which seemed equally to affect
the soul of his client. Relying on this principle, that every
crime must have a motive, he enquired whA ady.sn. age the
accused.could derive from the death of Kessemaker. Was
it hatred, reveace, or jealousy ? But how could those
passions animate St Claire, against a woman whom he only
saw for the second time? Vas it cupidity, but wha+
could he take from a person in the situation of the hAnd.
some Dutch girl ? St. Claire 11.:d experienced. was true,
considerable losses at play, but those losses had been core td
by several receipts. No, gentlemen, added his advocate, you
cannot assign ant, reastnable motive to this host. c;de.
Even theifirst judges themselves could not alledge fss.
From thence, Mr. Bert yer considered the question of re-
meditation, and most satisfactorily proved, that i• could not
exist in the accused, even supposing he had been guilty. It
is true, that it was proved in the first trial that Si. ('fat e had
not remained more than twenty minutes with Kersetua::er
that it was by chance he had met her in the Palais Royal.
and that in the whole course of the day, which preceded the
crime, he had made no preparatit ns ; besides. if hr. hail the
intention of killing her, would he not have selected acother
weapon, than a very small knife ?
In this part of the defence the advocate seemed to us
triumphant, but he was not so successful' in that which
followed; he should have destroyed that series of presump-
tions, that chain of circumstances, .vhich had struck t on-
viction into the first judges, and which the Recorder had
just revived. Mr. Iltrryer dividing, in otder t weaken.
endeavoured to destroy the one, and to extenuate t' rotbers.
but in general with more art, than effect. As last, ad ic,s!og
the Council, he said : " You will now enter, t;entlein, , he
chamber of your deliberations; St Claire hiii self, fir Irons
dreading your verdict, calls you there; you will see whe-
ther it is possible that a French officer, educated among
camp., raised by his courage to a distinguished rank. and
associated top legion of Knights, whose device is honor,
should have been guilty of sn horrible a crime." Ele then
•aflded with an agitated accent,which came from the heart. • as
to you, Bt. Claire, you base told me, even to the last moment,

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