The Sun.
London, England, 1808-06-25 00:00:00

I 5

heat that I bait no doubt' but that ere this it has been'.
signed. Anieric.a, Sir, is the next subjeCt of the
Hon. Gentleman's speech which I shall notice.: Of.
nearly all that has passed between tlret u aountries,
the House and the Pablic live been put in possessiun
by the publications of the American Government. '
I presume that the Honourable Gentle Man does nut
intend to blame his Majeaty's Ministers tor not hay-
ing mad'e similar communications to Parliament;
for if he had thought such communications neces-
sary, be would doubtless have moved for them.
Without censuring their produaion by the 'AMeri-
can Government, his Majesty's Ministers have felt
that the trarisa6..tion, being pending, any appeal
from Government to Parliament would look as it
• were concluded._ I. shall- only state;, that in the
wholeconduet Of the British Government, with re.
• spe& to the erfairof the elzesapeakt, we have en-
deavoured to keep in view the principle upon which
we'set out, narnely, to make ample reparation for
that which was a aecidedly wrong ea ar but to make
• that reparation under a firm determination not to
surrender a right which the great majority of the
country has ever considered as essential to its dearest
interests. Sir, I may boldly appeal to the country
to determine, whether, fronathe ebrrespoirdence on
the table of the 'House, any such disposition. on the
part of his D.l3jesty's Ministers has appeared fliyough
the whole tratisaction. That the rupture' of 'the
negotiation on this subje& was not attended with
any Costile feeling on either. side is au incontro7
vertible truth. The reparation was not accepted by
America, because America would not fulfil the con-
dition oh which alone it was tendered, namely,
revocation of that Proclamation by which British -
Ships were not allowed to enter the harbours of
America, -whila those of the Enemy visited them at
pleasure,- But, Sir, the manner in which the Bri.
tish reparation was tendered to America by a special
Vission, was, to all the feelings of nice honour, an
,elfeative reparation, although not accepted; 4t114 so
in'faat we have every reason to believe that it was
considered by the American Governnienta With re-,
sped, ,Sit, to the Embargo, and to the probable el-
feels of the Orders in Council in 'producing its
abandonment, the Hun. Gentleman has mis-stated
my Right Hon. 'Friend's' proposition. The 1106.'
Gentleman declares my Right 'Hon. Friend tolleve
predided, that the Orders in Council would do aw.isy
the• Embargo, whereas 'my' Eton:Friend only argued,
in opposition to the Hon.-Gentlemen on the other
sides that the Orders in Council did not produce the
Embargo; that they were not subr,tantively knoWn "
in America when the Embargo took place ; and tint
they were not included in the complaint made by ttie,
American Government td Congress, on whiClicorn-
plaint the Embargo uai founded. Nor, sir, do'
think that. the Orders in Council themselves could.
have produced any irritation its Aawrica. It I were
not disposed on this occasion to avoid, making ally:.
observations that might be suspealed of a party feet-
iog, I would say, that I do think irritation in Ame-
rica may have been produced by the echo of the
diseussiees• in this House. Sire since the return of
Mr. Rose, no comniunicatiou has been made by the
Atnataicau Government, in the form of,complaint,
,or
remonstran6e, or irritation, or. of any description
whatever. I tuation thiS particularly, because it
is noterieus that there have been several -arrivals from
America, supposed to •bi, of trem. imporral44, and
that several Special Messengers have reached- this
country from diencsa'after having touahed at France.
But, Sir, if the Honourable: Gentleman, in t he
execution Of 110 public. duty, had thought lit- to
tneve far any. CoillillUlliCatiOUS that had been made
by the Aineriean*Goveroment since the depas lure of
Air. Rose, my answer Must have been, not that big
Majesty's Govespreent' were*`disinclined to make:
them, out that absolutely there were none to make.
It it be asked " why r I am unable Satisfacitorily to ,
reply. I can only conjecture that America has en-
tend into negOciznion4 with France, which are ex'.
peeled to lean to some result, .and that the ccanniu-
Motions of America to this country are to be con-
tingent on that result. This, S,r, is conjecture
alone,- but it is 'founded on the extraordinary
camstance oti.so many arrivals whthout any aomont-
tiiution. It 'cannot •be expeCted of me, that
shOuld state. prospectively, what are the siews of his
Majesty's Government on, this ,sobjeet. The Nina
cipte by .which they have hitherto been guided, they
wall continue invariably to contemplate. They at-
Lid) as much value to' the restoration,, and to the
continuance of cordiality and pertea,t- good under,
standing with America, as any, Man can do.; they
are ready to purchase that advantage by every justi-
itible ; they have proved that readinesa
by the Act of the press:tit Se's aim in which the
trade.' ut America has been placed on the most
vuurable footing; but, Sir, they are not ready to
purchase that advantage, great as they acknowledge
it, at - the price of the barmier of those rights
on winch the naval power and preponderance of
Great Britain is innnutably fixed. ' The Honourable
Gefitletn'in has alluded with suflicient delicacy to
arsine unpleasant circumstances which the pri;sent
stagnation of commerce has 'produced in a part of
this country. But, sir, in waking this allusivn, he ,
, has offeiad to the Executive Government a piece of':
aidvice, which, I trust, is unnecessary.' He has re-
commended to us, Sir, in any measures Which the
excessea date misguidectinay compei us to take, to
discriminate between the objects of mercy aid those,
of justice; and not to apply to innocence, goaded
by want to imprudence, the penialunent which bea
longs only to •indettarsible guilt. Sir,:l trust it was
arettectly unnecessary. ,for" the Hon. Gentleman to
lay down'this principle fir the guidance of his• Ma-.,
Jesty'a Government. And, Sir, if among those
whu by the real pre'ssure of the times, are, incited to
' tumult, men shutild be found, who, without them-
selves experiencing any inconvenience, avail ,thei~i-
selves of the irritation of othersa to forward views of-
a very different nature, then, I trust; that to. such
Oen the Hon: Gentleman wonid not .wish ,
ciple.of lenity to apply, I state this, only because
I think that the recommendation of the Ilona Gen-
tleman is rather too much of a sweeping description,
• and that it sit plies a proposition which I do not
choose at this moment elate( to contraditt or to
adopt, namely, that one cause alone, the pressure of
the times, isenough to produce the evils to•which fie
baS alleded, and that no other can exist in aid of it.
The Hon. Gentleman inquires -Whether the Opera
Opn of the Orders in Council- has'produced the Lull.
etteals eXpetaed Imamit. But he does not mate
fairly the extent of the expectation. • It never, was •
sepposed by his Alajesty"a' Government, that thu

Orders would, throw no impediment in the way
.of the commerce of the country ; we expected
.that they would impede the commerce 'of .the
country, .but we Imposed this testriEtion, be-
- eauSe .reStridtion existed elsewhere, and because
we thought that the restri&ion Of the .inemy,
would be more successfully combated by a defyit)g
restrielion on our part than by helpless acquiescence
and unresisting supplication ; means unworthy of
the British nation.- -.I have nbw, Sir, gone-throng!)
must. of the Hon. Gentleman's observations, except
those which related .to the different ,Committees of
thiS House, 'to the general course of Parliamentary
. . business, and to the laborious attendance of Metn-
hers during the present Session. Sir, I shall add
but very few minutes to that attendance in express-
ing my cordial concurrence in the sentiments of the
Hon. Gentleman ;' and I am persuaded my Right
Hon. Friend pear me (the Chancellor ,of the Ex-
chequer) is by no means disposed to dissent from the
Hon. Gentleman's opinion, that this has been one of
the Most severe and laborious Sessions that Wa'S ever
known. lithe Hon. Gentleman refle&s with com-
placency on his share 9f the proreedingS of the
Session, we have also the satisfattiQn to relied. that
we have' done our duty in it, and we certainly an--
tieipate its, close with a feeling 'Of satisfattion. -
will not extend it still further by wasting the time
of the House in descanting on the desire which it
is rational to suppose that Government must feel for
the restoration of a peace—l will not say consistent
with the honour of the Country alone7-but.a peace
by which le:s future safety and independence may be
secured-: -The'disposition which has ever existed in
the minds of his Majesty's Ministers on this subjett,
and Which was.distinctly declared' by vs on the mo-
tion made by the Hoe. Gentleman on the com-
mencement' of the Session, remains unchanged.
lint, Sir, I' think, that under the present circum-
stances, the Hon: Gentleman will scarcely expect us
to 'declare whether or not we think there is ally
pro4peet .of art opening for that event. The Hon.
Gentleman may he assnred, that we may feel as
much a he, or any man, can feel, the difficulties- in
which the Country is involved ; but we also teel,
that she has energy and resources enough to con-
tend, so long as it may be necessary to contend, for
the maintenance of her power and independence.
To.say any thing fUrther, on this subject, to attempt
'to predict whether peace is probable or hopeless,
would, in my opipion, Sir, tend only, in the one
case, to relax exertion, in the other, to aggravate
esrir

WaPTwtirin declared' that he had asked tor
no information with resped to the probability or
the improbability of i)eace'; be • had only called the
attention of Government to that, important subjea.
The Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (the,Chaucel-
• for of the Exchequer), notwithstanding what had
been said by the Bight Hon. Gentlemen who bad
just spoken, had certainly held put the expedatiori
that the enforcement of the Orders in council Would.
induce America to see her true interest, and that-she
would in consequence withdraw her embargo. The
hot however was otherwise. As to what the Right
Hoe. Gentleman had said Of the echo of the l)ebates
iu that Hoose, 'mina-produced an irritation in the
American mind, which was subsequently allayed,
such a statement vvzs a general reprobation of e‘ery.
public deliberative assembly. - 11 the Members!l-
.the House of Cummins were not to speak their,
opinions freely,
• it were better that tlw Hoese,,of
Commons did not exist. But this was the common
topic of all Ministers, little considering that the good
far outbalanced the evil. In the present instance
he did not beltieve that any evil had been produced.
The Right Hon. Gentleman had expressed hiwatis-
faCtion at the approaching close of the Session, and
. had been .:very pleasant on the gratification which
this circumstance would give to hii Right Hon. and
Learned Colleague; He could assure him that be
Waanot less pleased with the prospersthan himself,
and `that
if he telt any of that complacency in the
retrospea which the Right 'Hon. Gentleman bad
ascribed to him, it was not so much at what he had
actually done, as` at ;he line of utaiduel he had pur-
sued/ There was- one topic of national' importatie2
on which 'he had not touched, namely, the internal
; defence 'of the country. The reason was. this ; ou
'a
recent evening a llinitt,Hntt. Gentleman, (Mr.
Yorke,) in t speech contaniing sonic tremendous
truths, had called upon a Noble Lord opposite for
an explanation en that subject ; and in his own em-
phatic language had asked the Noble Lord, " whe-
ther our fortifications were in 4uch a state, that if
Buonaparte were to see them he would pull off his
bat to them with respect The Noble Lord had
• replied, that' the fortifications of the coast were in
sthne,places complete, And in others advancing 'to
completion ; and also that the other military ar-
rangements for the distribution of oar force were Of
such a nature that every person might lay head
upon his pillow, and sleep in security. He woohl
trouble the House with a few words on what had
fallen from the Right !Hon. Gentleman xespeding
the return of Sir John Moore. Every ,body, knew
that a small risk ought' to be run for a great objett ; •
• but although it might have been. very adviseable to
leave Sicily, for a short time undefended, be con-
fessed he copid not divine why the force under Sir
John Moore did not return from Gibraltar to the de.
fence Of that Island, instead of a fresh force being
sent out from this country for that purpose. He
Pad always been given to understand, that,the re-
turn to England of S:r John Moore had been occa-
sioned by a mistake which might happen to any Ad-
miuistratinn ; but the Right Hori.'Gentleman-had
claieied the blame for his Maiesty's Ministers, by.
declaring that the return of that gallant. Officer wets
in conformity to his instructions. In his opinion, a
great risk had been incurred for a little object ; tor
certainly it was a great risk to leave Sicily undefend-
ed for such a length of time. He was very happy
to learn that the commercial arrangements between
Great Britaiti and Sweden were of such a satisfaCtory
nature. He would take it for granted (although
the Right Hon. Gentleman had abstained from
touching on this part of the sue jeet); that it was in-
tended to put the Orders of Council into full acti-
vity in this, Country. If so, and if facilities were
to be given to their • operation in Sweden, then, on
the commencement of the next Session of Parlia-
ment, the Country would see, without the possibi-
lity .of evasion, whether those Orders had been
tOnncled in wisdom, as asserted by his Majesty's
MiniSters.;, or whether, as it was asserted by bia
side of the House, 'they were an. instance-of the
grossest political absurdity that was ever committed.