The Sun.
London, England, 1808-02-06 00:00:00

Such a most-tie, without due emu:Aeration. They
eoul.d certainly not gay now, if they bad altered their
opirnou upon the question, that it was lawful for-
them alone: to violate the law of nations, and that
the door was shut against all infraction of that law
from 'the moment when they retired froni office.
It was now a time for indemnity for the Order of
If3ol,.because upon that principle they should make
reparation for all the measures that had been taken
under that Order, restore all the Ships caPtnred, and
repair 211 the loc.gei-sustained thereby. The Noble
'Lord had said that the Order of 1807 was only a
slight departing. from the rule of 17,A; But if ever
so trifling, it was still a departure, and au alteration
of the law. It was not to be supposed that the late
Ministers had adopted their measure in the dark.—
Their's was the departure from the law of nations;
the late Orders were only in conlertnity with that
law, upon. the principles of retaliation, and upon
these grounds, he should support the motion of his
Right Hon. Friend, for referring the-Orders to the
Committee of Ways and Means.
Mr: WINDI-14111 could not bring himself to
' think that the argameniunt,ad hominem, the conti-
nual allusion to, and comparison with, the measures
of the late Administration, as a justification of those
pursued- by the present, was a mode of argument
consistent either with the importance of the subject
tinder consideratiOn or the gravity of the person by
wljom it was urged. Still more was lie surorised at.
the extent to which the Learned Gentlemall seemed
disposed to Carry the new doctrines which he had
broached that night. Much stress had been laid
by both sides of the House on the due observance
of the Law of Nations. It would, however,, now
appear that, though the laws of nations might be
extremely veinal)* yet it w-re absurd to be bound
by them, when it was fintrailconvenietit and use
to infringe them. But if that were the ease, of what
value could they be considered of ? Whu could
force nations to refilled them, when they should
pear contrary to the interests of nations ? The same
might be said of mural law. By what tics or re-
straints would the society 'of
,men be then regulated
and bound f Most not, such doctrine drive at the
abrogation of all law ? What would laws be more
than thirse imtititted at Highgate—laws Inch only
enjoined a conditional observance ? As absurd and
ridiculous. was the idea set up of retaliation. It
would lead to the most strange and ludicrous elites,

if carried to the er.trerne whTeh was iusiouated,
which seettzed,. to be iutended. What I if

Mau chanced- to thrust out your eye,. would you, in
this spirit of retaliation, thrust oL.t the eyes of the
blind al.tu ? ' Such, however, kvere.the absurdities'
in which such doctrines were entangled, 3UCh ale in-
sane consegnenees to which we tintst.be 'driven, if
any utility, however slight, were to justify the in-
(tint:mew of the law of nations. It Buonaparte
enforces, fur example, one of his mad decrees at
flatnbUrgh; are. we therefore justified in extending
the sa't'e; severity to the rest of thy world ? Is his
man& in chat particular to be a rule fur others to
authorize them in adapting similar measures to an
unlimited . extent ? Jt surely was
,not enough to
consider how such measures of retaliation might
operate on the two Powers more immediately con-
cerned. _lt should also be considered how they
might affea a third party ; and above all, bow they
might :urea. America. But ,hopes seem somewhete
to be entertained that those measures 116 y produce
the must distressing. elreOs on the Continent. We
may, it seems, be Ole to starve the Continent,, and
still be not ade6ted- ourselves. What sr:o.e the
Continent, • and not be affe6ted ourselves ! Is this,
then, the manner in Which these vigbrous measures
are to effeetume the salvation of the country But
it is.likewise insisted that such proceedings belong
.to the prerogative of the Crown, and that therefore
Parliament should have no columnl over them. If
that were true, why make them a subject of, Parlia.
meotary discussion ? Why not continue to enforce
than', without question or inquiry ?• It is unques-
• tiopatily the plerogative of the Crown to make War
or Peace. No man will dispute it; yet has it •not
been the praifice of Parliament, . and is it not in the
nature of things', to inquire into the principles and
Justice of those wars, or the policy of the treaties
• by which they have been terminated ? Upon old
principles it was impossible to reason upon these new
doEtrineS. His chief objet in rising was to express
edtire disapprobation of such &Laxities, and to
entreat Ministers to re-consider and revise. these
measures. They must own that they were ex-
ceedingly complicated; and lie could not burthink
that a re-consideration and revision olthern was the I
more necessary, when,it appeared thin not only we
did nut understand our own measures, but, that we
were still unacquainted with fhe nature and extent
of the French Decree upon which they were
founded, and which they were intended to conu-
tera6t.
Tha MASTER ,of Me ROLLS rose to explain,
and declared that he was not conscious of mtering-
ra syllable that could justify the Hon, Gentle-

man in imputing to hint the dnariales which he was
said to have laid-down-no such! ideas' lead ever :en-,
tered his mila • . ,!? : - .
Sir 4. NOGOTT sai+l, more pains had beet,
taken to shew that the Order in Conned, issued by
the late Administration, was wrong, than to prove
the Orders since issued by the present Ministers
were right. Ue was much deceived, or his Ma-
jesty's• Government would in a month, perhaps in a
week, :regret the consequences to which these mea-
sures would give rise. He must therefore unite ha
the wish and advice of his Eight'Hon. Friend, that
be foto it was, too Ltte, Ministers would coutens to
reconsider and revise thdrri, Oct seriously examine
how far, under the circumstances that were likely
to arise, they should adopt or reje4l them. At all
events they should not be pressed now. The House
should pause and retlea how ruinous their etreets
:night prove to our trade;, more especially how they
inignt afrekt our intrrcoupo with Amertca, almoat
the only Power with whom we now hail, to remain
at amity. If they, or any Neutrals, could carry on
.tty trade -at all, the whole of that trade must be. car-
yied on through this Country, and under such regu-
Lnions as we mays Ouse to impose upon it. Why
then hazard cutting up our trade altogeither ? As to
the Order in Council I:if.Tannary )807,.it never was
intended. to justify it on the principle of retaliation.
It never was conceived in that Spirit, or intended to
ba enforced on that ptincipler. I,t was, therefore,

Our Plymouth Letter fully confirms the assertion
which. we have uniformly made, in opposition to
several of our eotemporaries, viz: that Sir Alen AIII)
STRACUAN had sailed in pursuit of the Rochefort
Squadron. It appears that the gallant 'Admiral hav-
ing boen blown off his station, was not apprized of
their sailing for some days. The moment, however,
lie obtained intelligence of their escape, he sailed in
quest of than. -lie was seen by the Growler ou
the 28th ult. in 46. N. lattil. 5. .W.
. The following is an Extra6l of a Lettcr :en
Officer belonging- to Sir, 11,1cumtn STILACkI4S.I.
Squadron, in Lit. 4G. long. 5. •to a person at l'iy-
mouth, dated the 28th

gt, ;rim itoolufort Squadron sailed On the t6th
January. Sir IlicuAitp did not hear of it till the
2-IA, they have therefore eight dayi start of us,
with e fair wind. The aesar carried away her
ruaiti-yard, btit took that of the .D.imega/i we
are Leven Sail. Sir lizottAtto told the Captain of
the Donegal that nothing bAttheclibtance lie would
have to go induced liit to
.take tier yard. From
that it is litippsed their destination is the' West In-
dies."

A Debate of considerable length took place last
night in the Hauge of Commons, upon the subject
bf the Orders in Council respecting .the Trade of
Neutrals. !iVe beg particularly to refer our Readers
to the very able Speeches. of the Ca..N0E41,08 of
the ExcluAtmu.and the NlasTstt of the llom.s, as
thely contain a most unanswerablevindication of the
conduct of the British Government. Lord PETTY ,
• who originally opposed. the Motion of the Chancel.
.lor of the Exchequer, did nut think it e:ipccilent
to take the sense of the Rouse upon the question by.
a division. In .speaking of the probable etYeet of
the Orders of, CQUOCii upon America, the Cu tlcet..4
LOU of the Excutmuea observed, that apprehensiens
had been expressed that they would iuduCeAtnerica
to go 'to war with uq. He hoped and ~trulted,not •
no One would regret such an event more than WM..
self.- He 'was far from entertaining the idea that
we might redeeru our own losses by the sufferings
of America. Loss to America wOnid be eventually
loss to Great .I:tritain ; and as he hoped that Peace
would bepreserved, he. believed that if might be
preserved. •

Tier MAsanY Will hold a Drawing-zootu on
Tio ,day.

Yesterday morning the Dukes nrYottmatid ept,
antnua arrived at,Windsbr, and trinisacted I)usiness
with hiS MAJESTY; atter whic,h ltis MAJKSTY, the
Duke of Yoati.,. PrilICC3.iC5 AUGUSTA, SOPtilA, and
accompanied by Lady GUORGIARA BUCK-,
LLY, Generals MANNING:HA:I4 and
F 1 17.110 Y, and Col. Talvt.utt, rode in the Great Park,
and returned at twelve (i'Llock.

Her Mumivit and Princes ELfzAucru took nu
airing. to Friigtnore.
Oa Wednesday Lis MAJESTY'S harriers huntedin
Windsor Park,

The Madrid Cavite contains the official details
of the actio►►s at l4enos Ayres they are of great
leng►h. LIN MRS assert's, that tile Ell„Ilish army loSt.
4001) men in the. first attack. It is also stated that
Gen. WniTimootte Made hi►it a present of a sword,
as an acknowledgment foi the humanitkshewn by
the Spanish Commander to, the English prisoners
and the wounded.' In return, Gen. pre-;
sented spine valuable Minerals, and other curiosities,
to Gen: WHITELocKe.

& great change, it is said, is about to be ope-
rated under the influence of BUONAPAitTE, in'the
Government OW.pain. It is said that the Prince of
AsTun tAS is Xo,be declared Sovereigt; both of Pon.
tugal and Si/44AM that his father is to'abdlcate the`
throne of Old:latter Kingdom. In return for the
'acquisition of Tortugal, Spain is to cede :Porto Rico
and Cuha 1941uoNANARTE, and to grant to Vrance a
free trade with her South .American posses ions.
Other neeett.4ts state, that, on the `..7th of Decem-
ber the Que4in of f!:,ritutt IA had arriitd at Madrid,
on her way fu. Portugal, where she was tq be in-
vested. with. the supreme authority as Queen and
Gnardian of her infant son the King.