The Sun.
London, England, 1801-03-26 00:00:00

te which was formerly conceded to Holl-and,
and other rowers,' -called surely for Inquiry. He
'would ask, whether agitation of this subjea
-might not have been prevented now, as well as when
the same claim was advanced by the Northern
Powers in 1780, when Lord NORTH avoided the
,discussion of it, which was never imputed to him as
Matter of blame, whilst,--by so doing, we had evil-
sin& maintained our Maiitime Superiority. The
only disputed question which remained on this sub-
jeCt, was the right of searching Neutral Ships under
Convoy.' Here he thought the reason of 'the thing
PM against us, for it was a monstrous idea, that a
Convoy, under the protettion of a Fleet.of Men of
War, should submit to be searched, even by a Re-
venue Cutter. It had been the custom of Spain,, itt
her disputes with Algiers, to prohibit Neutral
Ships from entering that Port ; but supposing a
SpanishVosel had met an English Frigate.convoying
Ships of this Nation into Aigiera., and had attempted
to stop and search- them, he would dare to
_say there
was no British .Officer but would have blown the.
intruding visitor out of the water. It had been said
that the claim set up by the -Northern Powers was
against:the acknowledged Law of. Nations, and
particularly with the Treaty with Russia : he
• doubted the former ;'and as to..the Treaty/with Rus.
sia, after adverting 'to the peculiar circumstances
under which it was entered into, Mr. Gat deem.
ed that if the House went into a Committee, an op-
/sort:unity walild be afforded of examining the
whole of this matter fairly and fully, But supposing
that the right claimed by these Powers •ought to be
resisted,' why, he mould ask, did the late Ministers
pursue a different condiki with regard to Prussia ?,
Had her conduit been lesi offensive ? A Prussian
;vessel going w ith cent raband 400ds into an Enemy's
port had been seized....,..Priissia -then seized upon
Cuxhaven.—Without resisting her conduCt, we in-
duceiii the City of Hamburgh to purchase the. Ship
and restore it to the ICING of PRUSSIA. This
was a mere quirk, but it would not do ; Cuxhaven
was not abandoned.; and the Danish Minister (Count
BF,RNSTORFF) bad stated to,Mr. DatmisioNo, that
the Convention of Armed Neutrality had been enter-
ed into betwixt Denmark, Sweden, Russia, an 4 Prus.
sia. The difference of our condud towards Prussia
and the other Powers could only be attributed to this,
that we were more afraid of the power of Prussia.
In the whole-of this business Ministers had neither
aled with policy nor with consistent firmness. On
all these grounds there was serious cause for In-
quiry. It would also be necessary to go into a
Committee of Inquiry into the internal state of the
CoUntry.—During the period of nine years of war,
270 millions had been added to the National Debt,
exclusive of Loans, &c. whilst the Country 'found
itself no nearer the termination of the War :• An
addition of 17 Millions had at the same time been
made to.out annual taxation. They had been told
by the late Ministers that they left the Country in
'extraordinary prosperity. But excepting,- those
who - • may have immediately profited by, the
War, what was it but to -add insult to tell the
Country that it had prospered ?--Ask.the starving
3/Tanufaaurers of Yorkshire, dec. Was not the
Table of the House loaded with 'Petitions owing to
the increase of the Poor-rates ? In twenty-one
Townships in Yorkshire the Poor-rates had pro-
gressively increased during the War from 60001.
to upwards of t 8,0001. In sonic of these, the -Popr-
rates alnally exceeded the Rack-rents. In -Bir-
mingham also, the number of whose inhabitants
was reckoned at 6a,000, from I r to 12,000 Poor
were actually relieved. But it had been said, if
great sacrifices were made, they had been well
made; and that ooe half'of our Property had been
taken for the preservation of the remainder. But
what he would say was, that one half of our Pro.
petty had been sacrificed, whilst the other remained
in great danger._ And for what had one half of our
fortunes been taken from us? Was it for prevent...
ing the aggrandizement of France ? Or for the
prevention of Jacobinism 'in that Country ? In,
both respeCis the objet had failed.—Or was it for
-the preservation of our Constitution ? He would:1
'say, ihat whilst the power-of the Crown had \ been
upon the increase, the British Constitution had :•uf_
-bred in proportion' to the' losses sustained by the, '
-SubjeClg of this Kingdoin. The influence of the
Crown bad been increased by 'the angmentation. of
Patronage, and that, arising from the increase of
Revenue Officers 'and Places, whilst at the same
time the Liberty of the Press had been nearly ex.
-tinguished, and Laws had been adopted trenching,,
in his opinion, upon the genuine principles of the
'Constitution. Thus those who had cried out the
most againstlnnovation, were themselves the great.
est Innovators. The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr.,
DUNDAs) had uniformly opposed a • Parliamentary'
'Reform, as inducing a change in the Representatio6,
:and yet he with his Colleagues had strenuously push-
.ed forward an Union with Ireland, which produced
the greatest change, and the effeCts of which Could
not as yet be well ascertained.. During the Admi-
ins t ratien of the late Minister the House of Peers had
- had 8Q new creations, besides the .change and addi-
: tion introduced into it' hy-Means 'of the Union.
The hereditary Peers of the Realm, not holding Offices,
Were become. a minority of that House. In short,
the late MiniSter; whilst inveighing againsr•Ja'-
cobinism, has acted upon Jacobin' principles, for
there is nothing of the old remains of the•Consti,
;titian that he has not Unsettled. Let the House
next view the conduit of that Minister with respeet
to the Sister Kingdom. He 'agreed 'that the, trite,
rests of Ireland were. inseparablyUnitedwith' those
of this Country. For four years past,
,since-the.
recall of Earl FITZWILLIAMI Ireland had been in
an alarming state. It had been 'stated' but a few
days ago, that Ireland, although not atually, de.
luged with blood,
.was in the situation of an
assassin--that the mass of the 'Peopled Ireland
was infeClea with jacobinism; and that nothing
but the , inability of the. French to assist, could
prevtnt the separation of Ireland from' thiS Country.
Now, after four years the Country was found to
be .in such a state, and notwithstanding all- the.
power which had ken entrusted with' the'Executive
Government, was it nOt titne for Inquiry ? A.Go-
vernm&lt always complaining of plots, disaffeelion,
and conspiracies, in his opinion, furnished a pro--
stmiptive, prpof against -•overnment itself,- for.-he
could not believe that a good Government would
b*ve found its measures prove so little effeaual for re.

0 medying the evils complained or. .And was it not
still more a fit and urgent subject fur Inquiry into
, the conduit of the lateqViinisters,witli respeti to the
encouragement held out by then) to the Catholics of
Ireland I—ACeording' toreport, Marquis 'Coax-
watLl s had stated what was termed Catholic Eman-
cipation, to he necessary to prevent Ireland from
being deluged- with blood.-I—He •wished. Ministers
bad always thought. so. -But,wheo the House found
.new Ministers coming into power, on the ground,
that the late Ministers were now more disposed to
conciliatory measures,' with respeCt to the Curb°.
lies than themselves, was not this a fit `subject for
Inquiry ? Mi% Gas then proceeded to advert to
the late change of Ministers. The. House and the
Country had been. surprized by their resignation,
at a time when their power was thought to be the
'most secure. . An event, this, which happened but
a few days after the KING'S Speech, which .was si-
lent on the subjeti• of the Roman Catholics of Ire-
land.. He asked, then, what had-produced this ex_
traordinary change in the Cabir.et. ? If, when His
MA-J ESTY'S. 'Srwch was delivered, his Ministers
saw no necessity for this measure, how came it theo
to be so soon aftetwards embraced by them?. But
if they had previously determined on the measure,
what had soccasioned the sudden abandonment of
it ?. In either case, the late Ministers were bound
to explain. He was fat from saying, that finding
their inability to carry a measure which they deemed
of great importance, would not he a sufficient reit.:
son for their Resignation... But. in that extraordi_
nary Publicaticin, which. had been attributed to the
Rt. Hon..Gentlenan, and, which had been handed
about as conveying to the Roman Catholics of Ire.
land a pledge of Stipport, and .thos converting them
into a party with •Ministers---in that 'Publication it
was statek that Ministers had found innumetable
obstacles in the way. What were these obstacles ?
•It was not a majority in the Cabinet against the
Measure, for it appeared that six out of the eleven.
had resigned. Was it because they found this Mea.
sure was,peeson'ally objeCted to by the KIN,? •He
acknowledged it was adelicate matter to introduce
the name of the KING in Debate, and what should,
if possible, be avoided; but if any bad consequendes
followed the discussion of this matter, • the blame
must rest with those who had occasioned it. He
thought the necessity must be of the first magni-
tude, which would --either force the Sovereign
into a measure .repugnant to his conscience, or
else to force him to appear in an ungracious si-
tuation, as if he were personally the Enemy of any
part .of His Subjects. If the late Ministers had the
authority of the-KING for the promise held out by
them to the Catholics, he could not believe that His
MAJESTY would afterwards recede front the autho-
rity he had given them ; but if, on the other hand,
in holding out such 'encouragement, they .had atfled
without the authority of the Sovereign, for Minis-
..
ters so circumstanced, to pledge themselves officially
to carry forward an At of such importance, must
appear as one of the most daring violations of duty
to their Sovereign; that was ever recorded in thee
History of the Country. He would ask also, whe-
ther those individual Members, who had .since re-
signed, had made 'such an engagement .with the
Irish Roman Catholics without the concurrence of
their Colleagues in Office, and whether Lord
CLART and others, who had joined with them in
supporting the -Union, were made acquitinted;.:*ith
such a stipulation ? for -surely, his Lordship anti
others, His MAJESTY'S Ministers, -were entitled
to good Faith with their Colleagues. . Another
subjeet of Inquiry arose from the appointment
of the new Administration. For his own part,
he was free to' declare, that he could not give
thoAe persons who composed it, his confidence.
*"—He and . those with whom he usually acted,
were desired not tO'prejUdge them; but he. would.
put a case, and ask, whether' a -.Gentleman could
be desired to leave the management of his al.;
fairs in the hands of a person in :Whom 'he could,
place no confidence'? And he would ask,. had the'
House had no experience of the conduel of those per_
• sons; no rule by which it might judge of thepoli-
tical - conduCt, and principles of these, persons ? Did"
not the part which these new Ministils haxce pre-
viously taken in both Houses of Parliament, from a
fair criterion by which a judgment might be formed
respefting them,? Most of the. e Gentlemen were
already known, by the support which they had given
to the late " AdminiStration, and by. the-offices to
which-they had been appointed under it. He meant
nothing personally offensive, when he declared,' that
he did not think they were such persons, ,as, -under
the present circumstances of •the Country, desered
its confidence. Whilst.GAntlemen-were desired not
to prejudge them, - they were also told that their
principles were' the same withthoie of their pre-
decessors. What then had he• !to look to but the
continuance of a War, carried on with the same
vindiClive spirit ; and with respect to Negotiations,
that they will be carried on:with the same•insin_
cerity ? The New Ministers had supported all the
principles of the War ; they bad applauded the con_
dud of the late Ministers in all their late Negotia-
tions,-and-had rejoiced with -the late' Chancellor.of
the Exchequer in the success of the failure of the
Negotiation at Lisle, Butif any difference did exist
between them and the old Ministers, 'that evening
would give them an opportunity of declaring it, and
of shewing the House that they afted upon different
principles with respect to the Constitution, and by
voting for the Inquiry which he should have. the ho-
nour of, moving. Mt. Gas r concluded with moving,
" That the House • resolve itself into a Committee,
to inquirtinto• the State of ilieNation."

-Mr*. DUNDAS. "Sir, after the manner in
Which. the. Hon. Gentleman has supported his Mo.
tion, thelfouse will not be surprized that I feel
myself called upon ;It chi; early. hour-in-the 'evening
to trespass upon their indulgence. The Speech of
the Hon. • Gentleman embraced .a great variety of
topics. He has commented upon .the different Ex.
pettitions• which have been undertaken' by this.
Country `during the War, .upon- the -question re.
spelling Neutral Nations; upon the Internal. State
of this Country and of Ireland, and, lastly, he al-
luded to the changes which 'bast lately •taken place
in AdMinistratic:). ,(Jr, the part, of the Hon. Gen..
tlernan's Speech to. which t mean more direaly to
-confine my-attention, is that part, in which he Cen.
sured the manner in which this War has been carried
on, and in which be cbilsiders me as particularly

iniplicatede tam thinkful to the Honourable
,Gentleman for, "the opporttinity he. has thus given
ine; of making some observations upon this sub-
_ jea, and make thus early, . because
perhaps I should not have ati opportunity Of doing
it at a later holy. There have, at various times,
many desultory attacks been made upon the conduct
of the War; and upon these -oceafrions-L-have told
the House, 'hat I now' repeat; that lam anxious-
the HOuse and the Country should know the princi-
ples upon; which
.the War has, hitherto been eon-
dilded ; and that with reference to these principles,
this War, in point of success, -might be com Pared
with any of the,most most, Wars ever carried
on by this Country. With respect to the other
topics, which were enlarged upon by she Hon. Gen-
tleman, I know not whether I shall be able to go
through them, but that is of little, consequence, be-,
cause. there are many Gentlemen much more ahle.to
.discuss them than I am, who will have an. oppor-
tunity of stating their sentiments this night. With
respect, then, to that part of the subject in which the
Hon. Gentlentcan considers: me as more particularly
concerned, I must beg leave to state (in order that
we may consider .the question with accuracy) the
principles
,upon which I contend this 'Country ought
to. • act, in any War in which she may be en-
gaged, and it will then remain for us to examine
.whether the present War has been :conducted.-upon
those principles. When the House has considered
those two points, I think- it will agree with -me
in, thinking that there is not the smallest foundation
for the epithets " disgraceful" and " disastrous,"
which the Hon. Gentleman has so frequently applied
to the-present War. 'The principle which I lay
down as one which ought never to be departed frOm,
be the object or cause of the War what it may, is,
that its earliest attention ought to be directed to ;he
,destrudion of the Commerce and the 'Colonial Pos_
sessions of the Enemy : in-this I include the .Ma-
rititne Power of the- Enemy ; for it is obvious that
their Maritime Strength must -almost entirely de_
• pend upon 'their Commerce. 1 therefore mean to
assert, that the War will not be well conduced if
its operations are not direCted against the resources
which will enable t, the. Enemy to contend againSt
yolk' I mean their Commerce and Colonial Posses-
sions. :This proposition 'appears to. me- to be.-so
plain, and has. been . so- constantly • acted upon by
every Administration, that I do not • think I,shall
now hear it disputed. It is 'as much our objea
to destroy the resources ;of the. Enernrby attack-
ing their Commerce and Colonial Possessicas, as it
is that of a General to endeavour to capture or de-
stroy the Magazines of an -Enemy ; for hi fact the
Commerce and. the .Colonies of a Country are the
resources- from .which it draws the means of con-
tinuing the War. But this is not the only.rea3on
_why this Country should conduct a War upon the
principles I have stated„ It is, hardly possible for
this Country to belong. at War with France without
being involved in disputes on the Continent, which
may deprive us of many, of the, Markets which we
•have for ourgoods, and therefore it is peculiarly our
interest,to take possession. of the Colonies., in order
to !open to ourselves markets for our commodities.
Now,'Sir, in order that we may judge how- far this
War, haying been conduded upon the principles 'I
have stated, can be called disastrous or disgraceful,
I will state very 'shortly its progress, and the suc-
cess. with. which ir•-hAs been attended :—Hostilities
commenced against France in' February, 1793,- in
that year Tobago, St. Pierre, Miquelon, Podi-
, cherry, part of St; Domingo, and; the .Fleet at
Toulon, were taken ; besides our getting possession
Hof the, whole of the Newfoundland Fishery., In the
:year 1794 i 'we took Martinique, •Guadaloupe, St.
Lucie, the . Sain ts, Corsica, and !Mar ie-Galante ;
in 179 c," Trincomali and:the Cape.of :Good Hope;
in 1796; Ismboyna, Berbice, and Demerara ; in,
197, Trinidada,..and Four Ships of the Line
-were
taken or. destroyed ; .1798; Minorca ;in 1799,
Surinam ; in 1800, Goree, Malta, and Curacoa.
During the whole- War there. has . not been_ ,year
in which we 'laic not seen-the successful 4ppliCit-
tion of: the principle ..upon.. which ha-ye cooteral-
ed that this. and every., War' should be. Orried on
by. this Country. :I- will now, -Sir,. say a few'
words, upowthe failures. :which we have had during
the presont War..' The -Hon.G-attlernan has upon
this and many other occasionsconisnerited...upoo diet
ExpeditiOhs to Ferrol,. to Cadiz, and to Hollatid.!
With respeCt to the. Expedition to Holland, lam wil-
ling to admit to the Hon; Gentleinan, that which
have afways admitted'• when, this snbjed was
under discussion, viz. that it was not attended with'
full success in all its objects ; but I do contend that.
the suceess.of that. Expedition more than. counter-
balanced the disappointment. with .which one of its
objects .was attended. I have upon former occasions
stated-to the House, that the Expedition ,to Holland
was 'undertaken with • three objects. In two of
which we were completely successful. The first
object which the.,Government had in contemplation
in sending that. Expedition ,to Holland,.was to etre&
a .diversion in favour of our Allies; 'by drawing a
part of.their, force from Germany. The:second ob.::
jea which Governments. had in view: was, -thairord
assistance to our friends 'in Holland,. attd (to.gi:47
them
.the..means..of rescuing themselves: from the-
yoke of France. -The third (Neel was (if Were
unsuccessful in the second), to prevent them ftoni
becoming tools in the hands of -our -inveterate Ene.:
Inks. • In the first and last, of these objects, . the
Expedition was .attended, with complete'sueceas : in
the second admit, that, from causes-which, it was
impo'ssible hdve foreseen, it was-not equally for,
tunate. - There was- every reason tO-stipposetliat
the. Expedition under Sir RALPH AB Eitelt("ll3Y
would have reached the Coast of Holland by the ,'6th
of August. If he had been able to effect a landing at
that period, he would most undoubtedly have been
in possession of Amsterdam before the Enemy could
have ptepared any effectual force to resist him. If we

had'sueceeded in gaining possession Of Amsterdam,
it will not, I presume, be denied that ive shOullhave
'afforded the fairest means- of restoring -the indc-
'pendence of Holland. It is 'true, that'; so -far the
Expedition failed—but from what cause ? - The
Fleet tvhigh, as I said before, left this- Country
early in August, immediately encountered- a most.
dreadful storm. This: I suppose, it will . not be
-said Ministers could -.have prevented or fortsecti.
The consequence of it was,. that the whole Expedi_
tion remained for several days on the Coast of

Holland before: It was pr24iCable to eh ft a &sem...,
barkition, and by this mans the Ene'tiny -became
acquainted with the part•weete the Attack was
to be made, and were consequently enabled to pre;
pare the means of defence. I ask again, if the ac.
cidental delay of the Fleet canthe attributed as nliS.
condua to Government • and I also &sire to' knows
if that. Expedition. can said to have completely
failed, 'which endedin-ourtninging away Ten Sail of
the Line and Thirteen Frigates, which would other.'
wise-be-now employed . in
,augmenting the. Force of
'the Norihern•Confederacy.? I have now stated -the
observations I meant to make upon that Expedite
tion: It appeais clearly, that out of three objefts
• with which it was undertaken, we have completely
succeeded in two ; and that with respea to the
third, we were disappointed by accidents, which it
. was •equallY impossible to foresee or prevent.—
With, respc& to the Expeditions to Ferrol and
Cadiz,_ I will trespass but a few -moments upon the
attention of the HOuse-npon them; because they,
particularly. the Expedition to Ferrol, have been
already discussed. ,It is the more' unnecessary for
me to Say much upon this. part of the subjeft, be..
cause, when it was, before debated, there was' but
one Learned Gentleman (who had perhaps prepar_
ed a Speech. which -he thought it necessary to
let off) , who did not concur in thinking that,
with_ respeCt to the 'Expedition to Ferrol, His
Majesty'-s Ministers were' free from any blame
whatever.. •But the Honourable Gentleman says
that Ministers are culpable. for having delayed
so king to 'use the great Force with Which' --titey,
were entrusted in the beginning of the year tßoo.
This point may require some minuteness of detail;
but I am very much mistaken, if I shall not be able
to convince, not only- the House, but the Hon.
Gentleman tiMself, that there is not the slightest
•foundation. for the 'charge which he has advanced.
The Army returned from Holland about the end of
'November, 1799. It is necessary here to observe,
that from the dispatch ‘with which' we were una-
voidably obliged to send that Army off to Holland,
it was obliged to sail without many requisites,
with which; under other circumstances, it would
undoubtedly have been provided., When it return_
ed; it Waked' considerable 'preparation to make it
again fit for service, It was-• the opinion of all
the 'Oft-leers .that:this. Aftny; before it was sent
upon any other service, ought to be trained to
41.Jogether in a body ; but such was the severity
of the weather, that
.it was I,llysically• impossible
for them, till the:middle of March, to go through
their exercises, in the field. ,On the zzd of ,Fe.
bruary, tBoO, it was resolved by His Majesty's
Ministers to advise His Mkt isry to send seplarge
a body as _zo,otio men'to cooperate with our Allies
in the Mediterranean., The very next day. the plan
was submitted to-. His MAIESTY and his approba-
tion -was• given to it. In consequence of this de-
termination, an application was. Made on the zSth
February to the Royal Duke] at :the head of the
Army, for. the necessary ,force. in answer to this
application, he stated that it would require two
months for instruaion, &c. before-the Troops would
be fit for service. ;111;:;:rs therefore, that the
force which it was determine:d to send to the Me.
diterranean could not leave this Country before the
2 8!1.1 of April. A second,- applica' Lion.. was then
made to His Royallifgl.thneerses,
isilteaytinagli,g.ththabe
t it would
be expedient to ,tend 5 or. 6boo.
,men. as soon as
possible. to Minorca, w trained
•and instructed until the rest of the Troops arrived.,
ACcordingly -6004 men embirked in the month of
March, which, with a Detaehthent from the Gar.
rison of Gibraltar
.and the,,Garrison of Minorca,
Made up a Force of -960^ men.' I
must beg leave
here, Sir, to digress for. one moment, in order
notice- some rumours which ',never heard till
within. these few days, and which I then 'heard with
- the -utmost astonishment. allndt; to.a rumour of
• a-differeneetitavink taken 'place between the Ge-
neral who was to have. commanded. that &pt.
ditiOn and -the. War Minister. .; and it was said that
this 'Statement cattle- from good authority. What
they'call,.good authbrity I do norknow, but them
is one authority to Which I wish I could now
iteal,. I mean to the only manwbo could confirmine
iA direalyicontradiaing thikstatetuent. • :The persoti
-to: whom I allude is now unfortunately in ta bed il)f
'"sickness, atitlp.ertiapi at the very;moment -that I arn
speaking; the:.etiAn try-may be for !ever- deprived of
the services of a 'most gallant and accomplished,Of..
fiver; and• society of a most honourable Man-4
mean the General who was to have commanded that
-Expedition-... Twill, Sir, read a 'Letter from that
General,' which _will shew that there' .is not the
slightest foundation for this pretended difference.—
[Mr. Df.II4DAS thenlead:a Letter from General Sir
C. STUART, in which he -declined taking the Com.-
'nand of the Expedition, because he disapproved of
the introciudion of Russian-Troops into Malta.]This Letter, Sir, I. think completely proves that the
gallant Officer in question (lid not decline the Corn..
mand froth the Motives which -*ere stated in the
report' I have alluded to ; and it suggests
t,(17 an_
t
other obsirvation whieh.4 -cannot pa
TtohreivyeLyti
t:oftitseAcwele
riitt G
yt
,toettlßiuesmsien a,
ite
tvarpepeaatrtsaetkhing us
at
were 40 anxious to keep our faith with That Power,
that we .lost the service of a•most.gallatit and experi.
enced Officer. It is.,equally untrue, that anyunneces-
sary delay took place in the sailin of the Expedition, .
g
after Sir AllEiCßols.lßY Was appointed. Genera
resigned the command 'on the 22d of April,
'and thel3th of May General lAsEackostaT was
enabled to set sail. It h;ippened unfortunately, that
although he sailed on the t3th of May; it was the
22d 'of June before he reached Mihorea. , This de.
lay, which arose entirely'fron the state Of the wind,
will nor, I presuMe, be
-attributed to us as a crime. -
But Gentlemen say, that if this Force had been sent
earlier into the Meiliterraneani it might have pre-
vented the loss of Genoa. In the first place, I have
shgwn that the 'Expedition could not have been
sent earlier into the Mediterranean; and secondly,
I beg- leave to state, that Genoa was not .at
all the . 6hjeet of the Expedition. .It may be
necessary to inform Gentlemen, that Austria was
at that time by no means anxious for our assist..
ance:. Those who know the jealousy of the Conti.
neural rowers, will easily believe. me when I state,
that Austria. was not,- at least, at an early period of
that 'Campaign, by any means anxious for our assist.
aree in Italy. I know that, at a subsequent pe.

rind, an application was made lak General Vistas
for succour ; this application reached Minorca' the
very day General AB ERCROMUY arrived there, and
he sailed the next day ; but the event of the- Battle
of Marengo prevented him from any effeaual co-
operation with .the Austrians. I am therefore
founded in asserting, that there was not a moment
lost ; nor can any blame be attributed to them, un-
less they are culpable for' not keeping -up a regular
and constant communication with Vienna, at a
time when such a communication was rendered im-
pratticable by the severity of the season.—This,
Sir, is a short, but, I hope, a distinft statement
of the fats; and I leave it to the-House to de-
termine, whether there is any ground for the
charge which Gentlemen have so frequently and so
confidently advanced upon this subject. When I
enumerated the successes which we had obtained
in the present War, by•the joint operation of our
• Meet and Army, I did not state those which had
been obtained exclusively by our Navy. I will not
go into any detail upon this subjeEt, because I think
it will be universally admitted that the Naval Suc-
cess of this War; has not been rivalled in the most
Brilliant periods of our History. I shall there-
fore conterrt myself. with stating generally, that
since the commencement . of the present War, we
have taken or destroyed 7o or 8o Sail of the Line
belonging to the Enemy, 181 Frigates, and 224
smaller Ships of War, making altogether 483
Ships of War. • Besides. this, we have taken or de-
stroyed 743 French Privateers, 15 Dutch, and 76
Spanish, making altogether no less than 1370 Ships
Ot. War. The.loss we have sustained since the com-
mencement of the War has been Three Sail of the
:Line, of which one has been re-taken ; one so-gun
Ship, .which has been re-taken ; and of the Frigates
taken by the Enemy, only one, viz. the Ambuscade,
e• mainsin their possession. I except those which
May have been taken by the Squadron which lately
sailed from West. I am therefore fully warranted
io stating, that there is no period of our Naval
I-listory which can equal, certainly not excel, that
of the present War.• I must here, Sir, notice a cu-
rious distinetiOn which Gentlemen are fond of mak-
..
ing between the conduet of the Naval and Military
Part of the War. Upon what pretence Gentlemen
make this distinftion, it is impossible for me to
Rues:, nth Sgrvices were entice the same Council,
aireap;l, by, tbe,sanp.men • and unless, it is contend-
that, on one occasion Ministers uniformly, acted
with e4treMe, folly, and on the other with the
greatest wisclomunless it is contended that the
nature of the elefuent on which the service. war to
pe performed, a4feCtecl chi understandings of Mini,
PiFccf4-671 !Oily.= at a loss to knowiatptv, what
ponnrittbis notable distinction is founded, There
as no- man,,, I: am sure, will suspeet me of a. wish to de.
Pr4;iate the tuesits ofaperson-whorn I esteeraand ye,
iterate ,so much, as I,do the Noble LW W,ho lately
presided. at the•head.of the. Admiralty, bit Lam sure
that NtahleLord woulrif think that we paitthim a fiery
poor compliment, if-we were, to. 4ive him, credit for
b sing. gteki without concert. with the rest of his
colleagues. The same obsexvation applies; to the
Conthitt. of the Military Department. If, however,
4ny gentleman can sbew, that in any part of the
basiness• which, was peculiarly, under my care, I
dime(' .thi least .w.ant 'of diligence or attention—'lf
say Gentlemen •can Ithe.mt: that I have foiled in
snaking .the .nece,ssary. preparations, then will
deserve censure; but hitherto L have
iiear▪
d.,.n0 such charge made against me—lay any
Officer. • I know that it will sometimes happen that
deers willimagine themselves better, qualified to
voncluti. an Expedition than those to .Thom the
command is entrusted, just as we sometimes meet
with.. persons who are firmly convinced, that-they
would.make. much better Ministers than those .in
whom His. MAJESTY has. thought proper to. repose
:,confidence. , I. stated in the beginning of
what:: I .have had the honour of submitting to
theirlouse,„ that. one of the great advantages we
4hatail,dcrise from taking possession of. the Ene.
mies' Coloniesi-avould,•be the procuring of Markets
for. the. consumption of: our Manufadures, if the
Markets of. Europe should ,be shut up' against us
1. will now -mention a few fads, to shew how sue-
cessfully the principle upon which., we. afted- has
lieent applied : In the year 1793, the.' Manufaftutes
seat from this Country to the West Indies amounted
to above 1,800,0001. : out Exports to the East In.
dies, "before the War, did not exceed 1,too,000l..;
and. in', the last year, they•exceeded 1,600,0001.
aeciour Exports through the medium of Hamburgh
to the tither parts of Europe, ui 1799, did not ex-
ceed 2,000,0001. Bur, Sir, notwithstanding all
the clamour which has been raised about our being.
shut out from all- the Markets of Europe, I will,
state with confidence, that let the Powers of • the•
Continent do what they will, the ManufaCtures of
this Country will find their way there ; and there_
fore I by. no means admit • that Ivo, have lost -the
Markets of Europe, because I 'am convinced-that
the very teverse is the faCt. Upon these:grounds,
Lain MOst •.clearly of Opinion that the.whole force
of thii Country should be employed in destroying
the. Commercial and Colonial Possessions of 'the
Enemy, except only such part of our Forces as -are-
necessary for the.defence of Great Pritain and Ire.
- Having occupied so much of the of the
HOuse upon these topics, it may be expeled .that I
should-say a few words tipon the- internal means of
defence which we have provided :fot the Country,
37)re House. will recolleCt,' that it- was in the ...year
1:796,- after-. Lord MALME&BURY • returnedfromya,
r 4 N• that, the Enemy began to threaten us with'ln-
Talitln. • At that time the whole-Force ()Oho Coun-,
tty; 'including Regular and Fencible Cavalry, In.
fantrYr Regulars and-Militia; amounted to no more-.
than S 8,000• men. In Ireland, the , whaita ;_ce:
amounted to jt,600 men. • Since that .period,' the,
defensive mean's • of ,this Country ha ve- been.very-•,
much increased. We. .have now 21)500
ry, Regulars and Fencibles ; and B.toodo
Infan-
try, Regulars and Militia; we have also, 6c...-
elusive of the Sea Fentibles„ 20,000 Volunteer_
Cavalry, and 107,000 Volunteer.' Infaetry. In,
Ireland there are of. Cavalry and Infantry 'above
52,000 men, exclusive -of above 40,000 Vo-
lunteers. Upon this subject, I leave it to the
House to judge whether His Majesty's. Ministers
paid sufficient attention to the security of the Coml.
,try, when there, are, betweeri 3 ancl-4 00;4o4, men
poical,?le, to its defence and that of Ireland. I know ..j

I lila)? meet with persoht *hti are pot disposed toaket
the..same:coefitlence jay Volunteer Corps that dp ;
but really., Sir, it wiP tale a' great deal of reason'
ing to.convinee me that 1.30,000 British men; with.
British hearts in their breasts, and arms .in.their
hands, will not afford the most essential means of
defence against an. invading Enemy, especially
when they. know that they have nothing to exped
frotir the success of the Enemy but ruin and clestruc:
tion, I know very well, that some Volunteer Corps
did evince a degree of reluctance in acting upon the
occasion of the late Riots on the High Price of Pro-
visions, but I hope • His Majesty's Ministers will
not leave arms in the hands of persons who will
refuse to obey any orders which may be legally given
to them. But those Corps who evinced tliis role once,
were few in number, and bearing no proportion to the
numerous Corps who stood forward to repress inter-
nal commotion. Sir, if I wanted any proof of the
readiness of this loyal body of men to repress riot
and and confusion, I might appeal to the testimony of
many persons present ; I might appeal to 411 the
inhabitants of this Metropolis. Sir, when I consi-
der the means which we possess of defence, I con-
fess I am not affeCted by the panic which some
Gentlemen feel aboin Invasion, even if I was not
convinced of the impossibility of a successful Inva-
sion against a superior Fleet. Having disposed of
this part of the subjeEt, I shall now recur to
the comparison which was made between this and
former Wars. I have been accused upon for-
mer occasions of presumption, when I said the pre- -
sent was as successful, a War as ever was carried on
by this Country ; I am now, however, ready to re.
peat my assertion, and to prove it. When I speak
of comparing this with our most successful War, the
recollection of the SevenYearsWar will naturally oc-
cur to the House. I will shortly enumerate the Con-
quests which were made by the British Arms in
that War —We took Senegal, Louisbourg, St.
Lucie, Duquesne, Guadaloupe, Martinique, the
Havannah, Montreal, Pondicherry, Grenada, Belle-
isle,. Ste. besides destroying the Fortifications of
Cherbourg ; we also took or destroyed Thirty-two
Sail of the Leine, Fifty-eight Frigates, _besides a
proportionate_ number of smaller vessels. . Now,
Sir, it appears that we are in possession of every
place taken in the Seven Years War, except qua-
dalottoe, the Havannah, and Belleisle. But, on the
other band, we have taken the Cape of Good Hope,
Ceylon, Demerara, Berbice, and, in a word, all
the Dutch Possessions in the East and West Indies ;
we have also, got Minorca and Malta ; we have
also destroyed the, great Confederacy which was
formed against us in the East Indies—we have pre-
vented the possibility of our being rivalled in that
qnarter, by. any European Power, and have acquired
a great increase of Power and Territory. I will
therefore always. contend, ' that as far as depends
upon Ministers, our success this War has been
ectua,l, if not superior, to that of any former War.
I must likewise remind, Hon. Gentlemen, that in
thatllorious Seven Years' War, there were Expe_
ditions attempted which completely failed; hut the
of an, Expedition was not considered as a
proof- of incapacity or neglea in Lord CHA-1114m.
Gentlemen, I. think, should shew us the same can_
dour, and; not be so liberal of censure upon Mini.
sters, because every Expedition in this long and
extensive War has, not been attended with full suc-
cess.. The Seven Years. War to was not free
from, some unfortunate circumstances. I neeci.not
remind the House of the .affair at Minorca. I do
not wish now, to disturb the ashes of the dead, but
upon that occasion even otrr Naval Glory was sup-
posed to have been tarnished.• Gentlemen, when
talking of the Expedition to Hollatici, always use
the term Capitulation : let me ask Ahem if the Con.
vention in Holland was any thing equal, in point
of extent, to that
_which was signed at Closterseven
In the present War, no allowance whatever is to be
made ; if an accident • happens, if the winds are un-
favonrable, the Ministers • are exclaimed against,
and the Country is• said-to be ruined; The failure
of,an Expedition is now considered. as .a decisive
proof of miscondud in Ministers; but Gentlemen
should recoiled the unfortunate Expeditions.-to
Rochefort and St. Cas, in the Seven Years • War.
But, Sir, I will not let the comparison between the
two Wars ;rest here—l will shew that we have
had disadvantages to contend with, Which 'did
not exist in the Seven Years War. , In the first
place, we have had to contend. against a Revolu-
tionary Government. In this Country, the War
has been carried, on by its_ fair resources, and its
faitly has been preserved. In France,. they have had
the power of calling forth, by means of Conscrip_
. tions and. Requisitions, the whole-strength of the
Country, the. whole mass of its population ; and
though these exertions are not of a nature to last
. long, they are dreadful while they do exist. But
this is not all; If the revolutionary spirit had been
confined. to France, its efreas would not have been
so-injurious, because. it is not merely Military Dis-
' advantages we have had to contend with.; we have
had,Societies in this Country, aEling in concert with
France, and this was a disadvantage which the Con-
du fors -of the Seven Years War had not to contend
with. We have had persons ranging the Country,
endeavouring to make, the Inhabitants of this
Country .dissatisfied with their Constitution, and re-
commending, in its stead, the Jacobin Government of
France. These,Sir, were difficulties of no common na-
ture,which we have had to contend with. Besides all
this, we.had to.conteoci against EtIOMYS bound by
no.principles:of,Pubfic Faith, who, invaded 'Egypt,
a Country, mith which they were. in puled Peace.
Had Lord CHATOM4 such Enemies. to contend
with; suehttlifikolties to surmount I In these times
• therc'was sets Party ; every man. felt, the danger of.
the Country+, and men -of all Parties were unani-
mous in their efforts to died its security against
the;attacks.elhe Commeo. -Enemy. We have not
met.-with such. coradua:, Gentlemen. wig perhaps -
say;,that.they-absented themselves
,frOm. Parliament,
and ,chat thereforeve ought to give them our thanks.;.
WI,. Six, I Cannot return them.‘my thanksi.when I
see thesinoment,at which. they thitsk right to return ,
to
.their duty ;. and. when I. consider the, times•end •
places. they ..have -chosen ,to difftge poisony'.
I am.-much 'more, disposed. to pay my toributeiof,ap...
,platise to,those .who, hive.,,atteoded its the,reguiar.,
discharge ut.their .dutr.-. I wide could.zgive,thdittyl
equal credit for, the. topics, wlsieh 'they, ithese-for
cession,. and. the,..manneu. irk -which -they- rdivtatiegi,t-

sewing, • what I hive
.done, Sir, I feel
!liaer:lavie.discisarged a publio duty, arid, at tile
,elose,ofa long political lifee I shill think I leave
my cOatitry the best.legacy in my pnwer, if I have
impres.sedsupon the minds of the Peope
,a due sense
ofall the. horrors of a Revolutionary Government.
I feel, Sir, that I have occupied a considerable
portion of your time, and of that of the. Houses
but there are two or three points upon which
I must .say a few
.words before I sit down.—
The Hon. Gentleman sp'eeks of the War upon the
Continent, and censures Ministers for its bad suc_
cess, as if we had had the controul of it. I amsure
am as sorry for the ill success of that War as any
dentienian on the,other side of the House can be
but surely we cannot be responsible foe measure
which we could not guide. Upon this subject I
shall only add, that it. the Powers on the Continent
had laid aside their jealousies, and lonised to the
common danger which threatened them, they would
not now have to lament over the unfortunate situa-
tion in which they are placed. Another topic upon
which the Hon. Gentleman has commented is, the
Change which has taken place in His Majesty's
Councils, and he thinks proper to insinuate that
there is something of mystery in the retirement of
His Majesty's late Ministers. I confess I am very
much at a loss to know upon what ground it is that
any thing like mystery is attributable to that
event ; for it appears to me, that if ever there was
a transa&ion plain and simple, it is the one to which
I am now alluding. It is neither more nor less than
this His Majesty's late Ministers, finding their
continuance in Office connected with the carrying of
a certain measure, which they considered as essen-
tial to the interest of the Country, and finding
they had pot the means of carrying it, they thought
themselves bound in duty to ask His MAJESTY
leave to retire ; that permission had been granted,
and they had consequeptly retired from Office.—
This is the vvhole.of that transadion, which has
been represented as mysterious. I shall retain
throughout life the same loyalty, the same at-
tachment, the same veneration for my Sovereign
that I have always felt ; and I shall; in com-
mon with the rest of my Colleagues, with whom
I ailed, give eery support in my power to an i
Administration ading upon the principles of the
Constitution. The Hon. Gentleman has expressed
himself unable to give his confidence to the present
Administration, but the Hon. Gentleman has very
cautiously avoided stating his reasons why he does
not think them deserving of confidence. The HOn.
Gentleman, however, represents the Country to be
in an unfortunate situation. He will not give his
confidence either to the late or the present Mini-
sters; but I suppose he has a receipt in his pocket—
he means to say that he and his friends are willing
to
_become Ministers, and that they are confident
that they are the only persons who have the means
of saving the Country. I do not wish to say any
thing uncivil to the Gentlemen on the other side of
the House, but as. they talk, very freely of others,
they must in return bear to be candidly spoken to.
And I beg to ask them what symptoms there arc that
they.enjoy the confidence of the Country ?' I wish
to know what appearance the People have shewn of
wishing that His MAJESTY Should burthea those
Gentlemen with the office of Ministers I have.not
yet heard tkat the Public have put up prayers 'to
tl*se Gcru.lc.tucir, -sUppticating EU interpose
and save the Country. I have heard of no. ,such
application, and therefore am rather at a loss to
guess upon what grounds it is that,Gentlemen are
so :satisfied of their possessing the Public Confi-
dence. The New Ministers will, I am convinc-
4. enjoy the Confidence of the Country—they
yr ill . enjoy the assistance and support of ;hose
who wish to maintain the Government and Con-
stitution of their Country. But, Sir,, what is
still more in their, efavour, they will enjoy the
advantange of being opposed by the Gentlemen op-
posite to me.—l recoiled a story which have
heard of CxAttt.Es the lid, which is rather applicable
to this :subjeas His brother, the Duet of Yoatt,
one day remonstrated with the King for exposing
himself so much, considering how unpopular he was.
The King replied,' " Brother, brother, do not be
alarmed for my safety.; for the People know, if, I
were to die, who would succeed me." His Majesty's
Ministers, I am sure, in common with every ,other
man who is a friend to his Country, will he happy to
conclude a Peace,whenever it can be obtained,cons t-
ently with the Honour and Security'of the Country.
As long as it is necessary to carry on the War, they
will do it, I am sure, with that vigour which can,
alone lead to, the-blessings of Peace. With, tesped,
Sir, to the Motion before the House, I shall oppose.
it, because I consider it as one which can answer no
good,purpo.se; The Hon. Gehtleman talks .of In-
quiries having formerly been granted, and-of Com-
mittees having been appointed to inquire into the
State of the Nation, but unless I am much mistaken
indeed, the Hon.: Gentleman will not be able to
produce an instance of an Inquiry having been in-
stituted, of the vague, general, undefined nature
which he now proposes. Inquiries have, I know,
been instituted into the State of the Nation, but on
some specific objets ; and unless such is the nature of
the Inquiry, it cannot, I am sure, answer any be-
neficial purpose. If there is any particular subject
upon which the Hon. Gent. or any other Gentleman,'
thinks an Inquiry necessary, it may be brought
forward by a specific Motion, and the Housewill
then have an opportunity of deciding,: whether. they
e think an Inquiry necessary, or not. I ithink -it
would be at impracticable as. it, would be useless,
-to go into the Inquiry which is proposed by
Motion ; and I am sure the Hon. Gentleman will"
find it as. difficult to state a precedent of a Coins,
mittee having been appointed to make such a
vague Inquiry as that which he now calls for,
as he would to suggest any
.possible advantage
that could arise from it, if it were instituted.
As to the other parts of the Hon. Gentleman's
Speech, particularly what he has said about Neutral
Nations, I feel. that I have already occupied too
much of theatime of the House to trespass upon fhem,
upon, thatssubjefk, more especially as there are many
Gentlemen who will deliver their sentiments this
nigitt, who are better qualified than I am to discuss
that-point; I shall therefore, Sir, now conclude with
giving my vote against the Motion."
Lord TEMPLE.said, he was sorry on the present
occasion to feel it his duty to differ from those with

ever itee he, hscl entered. unto rarhajtierft he
kid almost uniformly attled. pr4es:ieti td eh.
teftain. the.greatest 'itsped for the Right.. Hon.
Gentleman (the new Chancellor of the Exchtlner) 4,1
but he confessed that he would rather that lie had
continued still to fill the Chair of the Rouse,
which he had so long done with honour to
himself and with usefulness to. the' Country.---
Though upon the subjed before the House, he
believed thak there are few points respeaing which
he could agree in opinion with the Honourable
Ge-ntleman Who Made the motion, yet • setting
out ..from different points, led by different im-
pulses, and following different routs, they
might agree in arriving at the, same conclusion.-
For six years. ever since he had come into Parlia-
mem, he had supported the Measures of the Right
Hon. Gentleman, when he was in power. 'He
would not desert him now that he is out of power.
But he would, support the present Motion, because
he conceived the Country to be in a state.of great
danger and difficulty ; because he thought Inquiry
necessary, in order to ascertain the cause and the
extent of the-evils with which it is affii6led, and to
ascertain the remedy which ought to be applied
to point out the means of rescuing it from its
dangers.. To such an otljea, he thought it
.wor-
thy the character of the House, to devote its
most serious attention ; such an Inquiry, he• thought
it called upon in duty to institute. The KING,
in the exercise of his undoubted prerogative, had
appointed a new Administration to direa tie
Affairs of the Country in this important junc-
ture. He did not wish to speak harshly of this
Administration, but it appeared to him to be " a
thing of.shreds and patches !" made up -of men
unknown and inexperienced—in whom he could
have no confidence, because he had no experi-
ence. Who, whatever may be their.. talents,
whatever their prudence oar opacity. for govern-
ing the Affairs of a Great Nation, can claim no
confidence, because they had, never.manifested the -
qualities on which alone it can be founded. In his
opinion this was not the moment for making ex..
periments. He would not follow the Hon. Cert.
tleman. who made the Motion, in attacks on the-con.
duet-of the late MinisterS. Lie had given his con.
fidence tcithem; because they wete'rried and known.
But this was not the case with their Successors—ss
He did not wish to prejudge their condua- or their
abilitiei, but he could not trust to any abilities,
untried, at a moment like the present. It was well
said by an Author, whose Works have longer sur.
vived. than-anonymous Works generally do, "'that
suspicion is a sufficient ground for Inquiry." He
conceived. this to be'a good principle- for a British
House of Commons to ad upon. The Motion has
many precedents: Committees of • Inquiry were
moved for and granted during the American
War ; the India Bill ;, and at the time of -the King's
illness... He. presumed it would not be said that
the labours..of those Committees had been nugatory.
.Two of the, subjeas, on which it is proposed" that
Inquiry, should now be. instituted, • the prim.
ciples of Neutral Law, and the Catholic Emancie
patios in Ireland, are of the highest importance
in themselves, and intimately conneaed with
•the most valuable interests of the Country.-..
—He did not wish that the- decision- upon these
interests should be left to the Ministers, who had
,hiaterto given no proof of their talents. When they
shew that they are possessed.,olabilities, when' their
conduti..has proved their capacity, then he would
support. there; but. of .all things, he deprecated blind
confidence ; they may be satisfied of their own
abilities, from the- arduous task they have under.
taken.
,Phaeton;i the .son, of. .40//ay drove the ChAriot
of the Sun for a day--.she,-,. was:. satisfied Of
ability to do it—but the effect was, he set the world
on fire I:

Mr.,. Er, tn.ts and Mr. MAY said each a few words
against the; Motion. .
Lord Tz.vtrlE explained.. -
' Sir IV YOUNG said, he hail supported the late
MinisterS because he had repesed confidence in
them, and he did _nor, think 'his confidence was
founded .on slight; grounds ; but he certainly would
vote,for the:present Motion., , He .had opposed si.
milar Mations formerly, on grounds-of policy arising
from the -unseasonableness of the times for condutt.
ing_such
_; -but he supported this Motion on the
same grounds ,of policy, that - the• circumstances of
the present, .. times: rendered: :Inquiry necessary ;
he had opposed:foriner Motion's:for Inquiry, be.
cause he had confidence .. in the then Ministry.
7-but he supported the present,- Minion became
he could not -.have confidence in new Ministers-i*i
they 'profess .they . w ill aft- on ' the same general , prin.
ciples with, their predecessors, but the House haS no
assurance .that they will ad on all the principles.of
their predecessorsi. Holvoted for Inquiry, not uponi.
grounds of ;suspicion, but, because. hethought it 11e..•
cessary for the salvation -of the Country.
Mr.. PITT said,: that, after what the douse had..
heard from his Right Hon..Friencl, much as he, watn
interested in the question, and some of the topics '
twhich.were. opened by the .1.-Icitt. Gentleman whose
Motion was now before the Ilousei he should have':
felt that he. had but little excuse for troubling the',
,House: much at ••large upon, the preent sUbjed, if
' the debate, had not, from. a few: words. which fell. '
from another Honourable' Gentlernan,-,taken. a turn
totally. different;, from that. which IIiAS , introduced
by the Hortuurable' Mover.:—The principal pare/
of the :time which he employed in the discussion,
was consumed in endeavouring to satisfy the House,'
that he. suspecting' some G6ttlemen had improperly
resigned- their -situations .uncletovernment,- that
"w,as sufficient ltetinduce the, House to go into an In_
quiry into.,the-State of the ,Nation.--If it had not
been for .sotne..olservatkont, that. , were made upon
those Resigtjations, and,iie had. been aware that , no
:Gentleman : would give :his vote-this night upon
any biit . a consideration.of this plainstatement of
thii•simple question,,-Do -the.:arguments this night , ,
alter the principles. on:' which: you yourselves have .
aced for nearlyuine years ?L;-if, he said, it had not
een for some observations which_were independent
f that question,: simply so stared, he should have felt
t . hardly necessary for. him to. bane troubled the .
House at ally but to. piss by in silence, and rely on
the, judgment, of the House, every thing which
telated to. his own- persoeal .conduft.—He hoped
that-this .latlguagetwould.not be mistaken for indif.
Pre= in, ESA 41 to the opinion of 'the House; or of-