The Sun.
London, England, 1808-02-04 00:00:00

THE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 180

plied to be Auditor to the Establishment, and wa!
refused, and also the .IVidow. of a Captain; cif' the
vy Na wile made application, to be k.gairon. He
considered the Institution, as constituted at present,
in many instance's -.a job, and to remedy, the .evil,
he moved fur leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
Mt passed last Session respeeting the Naval Asy-
lum at Greenwich.

. ,
Mr. ROSE said, the Asylum was on the same
plan of the Military Asylum at Chelsea. There
were no rules pet for its government, but it was in-
tended to, propose the same rules as governed the
Chelsea Hospital. He' was a • Commissioner, but
never heard any Naval,Surgeon had applied for the
Surgeoncy of the Asyltim and when the Matron's
place was applied, for, he ktiew of no :'ivicloW of a
Naval Officer having Made applicatWth fill the si-
tuation. The, Commissioners wet ti Vilely Naval,
Gentlemen, who forted a large majority. He there-
fore objeeled to any 'such enatiment as the Hum
Admlral propose& as .The Establishment originatad
in a private subscription., and Lord St. Vincent and
other Admirals were at its head, who would not Suf-
fer it to be abused.

Mr. WINDHAM said the Military Asylum did
what the Naval Asylum does not do, the Offices
being filled by military people.
Mk. THORNTON said there were three candidates
for the situation of Surgeon ; one offered to give up
his private pra&ice, but the Naval Surgeon would
loot.

Lord NiWARK agreed with what had, fallen from
Mr. Rose and Mr. Thornton, as did also Sir LORDE.

Sir C. POLE said there were applications made by
naval persons for 'situations, and others . were pre-
ferred ; and as he . considered the matter tt job, he
would, if he stood-,-alone, take
,the sense of the
House on his Motiun.

Sir I,:vAN NEVEAN ably defended the Establish-
ment.

Mr. FRANKLAND was against the House dividing,
and exprebsed a wish, as other business stOod for
discussion, that the Hon. Admiral would withdraw
his Motion.

. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEWJER considered
the Establishment originally as a priva'te charity. The
King appointed Commissioners for the Asylum., and in
the warrant they were direaed to form instructions,
which were in preparation, for the purpose of being
presented to his Majesty. The House tlad heard
that the Auditor had concinaed himself' well who
was first appointed, and was therefore continued.—
This certainly, he said, wassno job, neither was the
case introduced with respect to the appointment of
a Surgeon, a job. He therefore deprecated- the-. in-
troduetion of a Bill to interfere with the Royal war-
rant, on the grounds stated. The regulations would
be laid before the Hotise, which, if not approved,
his Majesty may be addressed on the subject. With
the rastriaions the Hon. Admiral wished,- if ar-
proved, persons would offer who had ne other guar
lineation- but that of belonging to the Navy:
Lord TEMPLE was inclined to agree with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, that 'the regulations
should be first laid'before the House, and it was d 4..
after all that hod been heard, that the House
Would not come to a hasty decision. He therefore
proposed that the Hon. Member would withdraw
his Motion, that:the'facts May be inquired into.
Sir C. POLE acceded to 'the -postponing-his Mo-
tion, with an understanding 'that it would be 're-
considered. He then' moved for :a' Copy of the
Warrant appointing the Commissioners; which was
agreed to; and for an Account' of the Persons ap-
pointed Officers of the said Asylum, Salaries, &c.
Ordered. He then Moved for a List of the Persons
Who have made applications for Offices in the Insti-
tution. •
Mr. Ross objeSted; on the grounds that several
resnectable Ladies, the Widows of Officers, applied
for the situation of Matron, and lie submitted 'the
indelkacy of laying their names before the House.
The House divided fur the last Motion, Ayes 75,
Noes Wu—Majority against it 115.
EXPEDITION AGAINST COPENHAGEN..

Mr. G. PONSONBY rose to make the Motion
of which he had had the honour to give notice to the
House. ThOohjed he had in view was; principally,
`to ascertain how far his Majesty's Ministers 'had
been justified in advising. his Majesty to ,employ
his Naval and Military Forces in the Expedition
against Copenhagen. That this Was a subjea which
peculiarly demanded the inquiry of the House, be
was ftilly authorised to state on the Declaration
issued by his Majesty himself, in the first clause -of
which he declares that he owes to himself and Europe
a frank exposition of the motives whiCh haddialated
his conduct with regard to Denmark. It was scarce-
ly necessary for him., to say, that in speaking of the
Declaration by his Majesty, and of the Speech from
the-'Throne, he meant to direct .his observations
solely against his Majesty's Ministers; and he must
also be understood, in speaking of the subject to
which he Was about to call the attention of the
House, to refer to his Majesty's Ministers, and not
.to his Majesty himielf, to whose native reCtitude
andfhonour ho was convinced that the transaCtion
was as opposite as it had been disgraceful to the pro-
jeCtors of it, and disadvantageous to the Country.
In order to consider, the subjea maturely, it would
'be necessary to inquire first, what the disposition
of Denmark had been; next, what the condutt .of
Russia bad been ; and lastly, what,tneans France
'possessed of executing. tiny projeit hostile to this
Country, in the Baltic. It would he idle to enquire
into the disposition of France, with. raped to this
'Country, for it was well known that the Ruler of
that nation was well disposed to unite, all the force
that hoco.uld against Great Britain ; but to justify
his :Majesty's Ministers for the step that they had
taken, it was necessary to ascertain, not the disposi,
tion of France, but the means which France Fo,
sessed of manifesting that dispoisition in a mann,r
dangerous to this Country. In drawing up the' h. -
solutions on which he should found his Al t-4

• .e.• •
se Address to his Majesty, requestic the COI*I3II.
nicatier; of such Papers as in his opinion would elts•
cidate the subiett he had gone far back. In his
Majesty's_ Declaration of the eoth of September,
1801; an allusion was Made to an apology stated to
have been received from Detunark at the close of a
former war, for having entered into a hostile confe-
deracy against Great Britain, which apology was
grounded on the inability of Den Mark to resist the
menaces of a great Naval Pourer. He had therefore
frarnad a .Resolution for the purpose of procuring
the substance ,or copies of any communication re-
ceived from the Court of Denmark towards the close
of the last, war, as also of' the apology alluded. to.
He was desirene to .propose this Resolution, be-
cause his Majesty's Declaration charged Denmark
with having entered Mao an hostile confederacy
against this Country., and with having defended that
hostility by declaring .that she was compelled to
do so by the threats of 'a great Naval PoWer.
Eve 'std inquired on this subj'ed, and he, hart been
told, perhaps erronteensly, the& the Court of Den-
merk sever did send such apt:l4;y • for theabandon-
meet of its neutrality. He was desirous, to know
the faith, and he could not couceivat what objeCtion
could be made to the produdiou of the se Papers, if
they, tclually existed. The stransaClicat had, taken
place about five years ago ;- there could be no appre,
hensbn :of disclosing any source of secoht intelli-
gence; not any thing could be discovereil which,
the Declaration had not asserted—that .asserTion he
did sot believe to be founded on fill Ho . had
shaped another Resolution, for the purpose of ast:er-
tainicg what information had been received by ftis
IlLijeey's Ministers respecting the contled of Den-
mark, with regard to its naval force. He was de-
sirous that all the reports made during the last year
by the King's Resident at Copeebagen,, as to the
steps' taken by the Danes for augmenting the
marine, manning their fleet, &c. should be laid
before the House ; becapse, if. Denmark were
really hostile to this country, and were disposed
to mite. with France and Russia against us, she
would unquestionably have exerted herself to put
her naval force in a state of respe&aleility. The
praCtice in Denmark with regard to their marine,
he unierstoo4 to be this : the Danish sailors were
obliged to inscribe their names in certain Z:ffices, so
that the Danish Government knew at all times,
pretty nearly, the amount of sailors in their do-
minions, as, if the sailors quitted Denmark, they
were obliged to state. in what ship they went, and
by these means, the Government knew the number
-of their sailors, tied their distribution. in the differ-
ent parts of the world to wbicli they were carried
by. the mercantile, marine of Denmark, The ex-
tent of Dana commerce, and the distant voyages
undertaken by the Danish sailors, render it itnpossi-
.ble (or this aleists Me:eminent m man a con-
itilereble fleet at a short notice. It was not as in
England, where, owing to the immense number. of
(ear sailors, and the extent of our commerce, we
were enabled by impressment and other means to fit
out and man a powertnlfieet in a few weeks. Den-
mark to du this must await the arrival 'of her mer-
chant fleets. If, therefore, Denmark had a6tually
meditated hostility against Great Britain, it was im-
possible to conceive that she would not have denten-
.Stratedaltat lurking intention before the period of
Lord Gambier's arrival in the Sound. He asked,
alierefore, if his Majesty's. Resident at, Copenha-
gen Wad sent any advice to this erica ? His Ma-
jesty's Minister had told hint, that they meant to
refuse au answer; he hoped the House .would not
agree. with them. He also wished to know, if re-
ports had been received by his Majesty's Ministers
from any Naval Officer employed in the Baltic dur-
ing the last year, relative to en
_augmentation of the
naval force of Danmark. It was matter of public
notoriety,' that during the last year scarcely a week
'elapsed in which some Naval Officer of skill and re-
'putation had not passed the Sound, in consequence
of out•intercourse with Sweden, with Aussie, and
even with finable until the power of that country
had been demolished. It was hardly possible that
any extraordinary naval preparations could have
been made at Copenhagen, without their having
been noticed by the expert and experienced Officers
.to whom he alluded. If this information. Were,
denied, why. was it denied ? because it did not
exist ; because his Majesty's Minister at Cepen-
hagen, did not send home sny information of a pre-
-paration for hoStility in Denmark ; for he could
.not have done so'with truth, bectiuse his Majesty's'
Naval Officers had not noticed' any naval exer-
tions in the ports of Denmark, for no such exer-'
times had .ben manifested. The House Ns-6111d
therefore, be justified in concluding that no steps
had been taken by Denmark which had awak-
ened jealousy, or roused suspicion. He had made.
it his business to inquire what ~had been; the: con-
du& of Denmark with regard 'to her own ships
and their valuable cargoes, which were in the ports
of Great Britain at the very time that the Expe-
dition against Copenhagen was fitting out. When
Admiral Gambier was preparing to sail, many of
the Danish Captains hearing, among other ru-
mours, that it was as likely that the British force
was destined against Denmark, as against any other
placee-coesulted the, Danish Consul on the sub-
Jed,. Jibe Consul applied to the Chamber of Corn-
‘merees in .Copenbageit, a branch of the publie ad-
ministration of dovernment. He received for an-

saver, that there was not the =angst ground for
anxiety or alarm on, the part. of the Danish mercan-
tile inteN,,t, for that no such circumstancek existed
‘rviiien leaded to disturb the neutrality of Denmark,
or to place her, in a state of hostility with Great
Britain. At the tirne that this answer .wos re.
eeiyed, there NA, ere 350 Dan4h Ships in ..13:itish
port; w hose cargoes „ituounted to two milt ons stet".
'in. Was it possible to soppoie, that under these
elrentnstances, when the Danish Government de-
an-el to her conitncrcrii interest that they need not
thenbely-:1-rthat there wits no fear of