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

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THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1801.

was augmented by the remains of the SuppThmen_

tary Militia, for die purpose of assisting our
Allies in making an attack upon France. With the
remainder of the Holland Army, and the Surplus of
the Supplementary Militia, with a great disptise-
_ .

able FOice, what did the War Minister do ? When

the First Consul of France made aProposition for

PeaCe, they were told, that nothing could pre-
vent the ruin of the French Armies, but Our

making an impolitic Peace ; that nothing but vi-
gour was wanted o►: the part of Britain, of rendering
the Campaign completely successful, and for that suc._
cuss the War Minister would hardly allow a doubt.
But what did Ministers do ? No attempt was made
with that large force given them till the Armies of
France had penetrated into the heart of Germany,
and had obtained the decisive Battle of Marengo.—

It was alter this that General ABERCROMBY all.

peared off Genoa ; and afterwards, when it was too
late to do any thing against France, an Expedition
was undertaken against the coast of Spain. But in
spite ,of.,every thing which had.been said in that
House, by the General who commanded, he must
consider the Expedition to Ferrol as 'disgraceful,
and still more so, that which was attempted against
Cadiz. Previous to that attempk, he believed
Ministers well knew of the Plague whi'ch'then pre-
vailed ; but they did not abandon it on this account.
He wished to know why two great Armies -against
Ferrol and Cadiz did not succeed, and on what

grou►►d the late Ministers had proceeded ?—These
Expeditions had failed, and in a way which
he must think was injurious to the honour df the
Countri.—That Army it was
Snow reported was
employed against Egypt; and though various dr-
cumstinces excited hopes of their success, he con-
fessed that his exile Cations were not so sanguine.
It had already been marked with that delay which

had proved fatal in other instances: On the
third of November it had sailed from Gibraltar,

and by the last accounts, up to the end of
January, that Army had not put the attack
upon Egypt into execution, whilst this delay had
given opportunity to France to throw succours into
that Country. What occasioned this want of suc-

[:PRICE she. PENCE.

entering on hisepart into such a Negotiation, the only
died of which was, to ',reduce altrio,se the total de.
seruaionof.that Monarch. The evenrs.of the War
after ithe Battle of Mareogo, prOved France urri.'
formly successful, and upon an. extended Line of
Operation; therefore-01re advisers of the, Ementote.
of GERMANY, must, have been had judges of the
circumstances of.the War. This Inquiry into the .
conduit of the late Ministers, became flrthen neces..
sary as an intiingloll to the new Ministers,' in the-
event of their entering into any fresh _Negotiation
for Peace. He bad been {old that the new Minie
sters wished for Peace. But he had -not forgottor•
that most of these new Ministers had-Supported the
former Minister, who had said_ than he was thank-,
ful the Negotiation at Lisle had firiled. Therefore-,
without agreeing to some Inquiry, Foreign Powers
and the Pubilc would be led to suspect the sincerity.;
of any Negotiation entered into by the new Mint..;
sters. The change which .had taken place in our po. •
litical situation required the serious sus estigativrt of
the House; that situation was different now from the'
time when the Overtures of IgUNAPART7' Were re...
jelled.. As formidable a Confederacy was now
formed 'against us, as was formerly produced of
Powers wno had been originally alarmed at the.pro-
gress of France ;--=these very Powers had now
united with Faincein a Confederacy against Great
Britain: In a Committee he should be glad to argue
more tit large the grounds of the opinion be had for.
merly stated, as to the Causes of the present Northern
Confederacy: The fandamental maxim of all true po-
licy was justice. He would ask then, whether the
proceedings of this Country, with resped to Neu..
tral Powers, 'were didated by justice / lie knew,
that in the Swedish Note, the dired contrary was
charged against us: It' charged us' with vexations,
and that justice was either denied, or rendered so
tardy by our Courts ,Mit-ritime, as to render re;
,paation-ineffedual. The honour of the House
Was called on to institute an Inquiry, whether, •
byi a series of vexations and injustice, we had'
not provoked the resentment of, these, Northern
Powers ? As to the Querstion at Right, he was not
disposed to enter into it.
.ft was a 'question involved
in perplexity, and, too often decided rather by, power
than by the principles 4,Justice.• Even an unpro-
fitable right was not much worth discussing, :
present objeft was; to separate the question from
that confusion
,in which the subjed had been, in-
:volved. Itehad been" said that even the Suspen.
sitar, of that Right • would giVe ~ to , our iEnemies
an ordimiteckrowcteof recruiting_ their Forces.'•
But this was p, confound, the question of contra.
band; with the question of tree bottoms making
free goods... The •Treaties. of• Sweden and Russia
contained an express giving op the question of con.
traband. :Then the ascertaining Oat, is contra...
band,seemedeby theae.Treaties to admit, Of little
far,, ,in. in. express Article in the `el ieaty
of Aimed Neutrality, these 'Powers. agreed _TM- pnly
eto ex'tept aired artieleS•of contrabanda, but also to •
refer for an explaiation • of what is coutrabartasio .
the . different Treaties • entered into with these
P. oyv Here Mr.. bat proceeded to }poke
particular references to the. different Treatgrs.
entered -into with Russia, Sweden,- Holland,.
in -illustration of, this point.. The Armed :Powers
of the North bad also disclaimed the right .of
carrying any 'thing into places actually' blockad-•
ed. The only .two poipts, in dispute were .tfie.
right of free •bottoms milking free goods, and
the right of searching ships • under Convoy.. As
to the former, whatever might litnthtevalue of this
privilege, it conceded-to the Northern Powers,*
would not 'give: them .any actual sight which they
did not already enjoy .-by former pc:alio. „The
only area would be, to allow France to carry
, her Commerce tea- Manniadures i>i Neutral Ships
jif she bad any Cukor:tierce to carry on). So far as
this was a Question of Trade, lie :.should thinks that
the Country which had most Trade would find the
'greatest advantage from this principle 'in 'time of
War.—But supposing that this principle,. if ,con.
ceded, would give to France the power of recruit-
ing• her Fleets, this ought not to be put in the,
balance with the great addition of strength which
the contesting it would give to France by means, of
.the Confederacy. Already was the communication
,of this Country with the Continent much diminish-
ed, and in danger of being destroyed, and 'wait not
Rho been already stated in the I louse, that at all
events this Country would be in no danger.of lOsing
her Commerce whilst America would be at liberty
to carry her goods / As matters now were, he had
been told that by means of Neutral Ships a consi-
derable:lra& was no.v actually carried. on with
France and other Countries. By our resolution of
opposing this Confederacy,, we proposed to take
from France a Trade which she did not possess, for
the,sake of giving her one of real value with other
Countries. But, let the Right be what it would, he
would ask, whethenir was politic to iIIS;St upon it ?
Would it not now, •and at all future times, throw
the Northern Powers into the Scale of France
And ',supposing that in the present instance, this
Country succeeded in establishing. this right, would
it not be liable to have it again contested at every
opportunity ? But the Ilouse had been told, that
if they abandoned this claim at present, they might
as well burn their- Ships 'and disband their Sailors. .
In his mind there never was a more absurd argu-
ment. In the Treaty with Holland, 1674., this
priviledge was conceded to the Datch : Spain had
also elijoycd the benefit of this very principle ; and
in rie,6, the late Administration had cone(eled
the very same, to France as it had been foi-
merly yielded to Holland. He wished they
could naw recur to the.,e days, when the Coun-
try enjoyed 'Plenty, rower, and Honour. But
that at the end of a long War, we shoeld add to'
our difliewlties and dull by inaistireg on a prin.

cess Would the Hon. Gentleman say that means
had been wanting,when there was a disposeable force •
of no less than 168,000 rank and file in the pay of
Great Britain, exclusive of the forces in the Eastt
Indies, &c: ? He believed that at no former period
did the Armies, at the disposal of Great Britain,
amount to half the number, even when the Country
was advanced to its highest pitch of glory Ability,
activity; vigour, and enterprize would find resources
where ordinary means failed, whereas inability and
inertness would fail of improving the advantages
which were possessetL They had seen the great
Genius of France overcome every difficulty, whilst
the-Ministers of this Country suffered the season of
t4304;i1-.0., ;:a.e.eil I—. 413,14
France. has, been completely successful. 1\14:20,y -all'
this could not have happened, iithout incapacity on.
the part of His Majesty's late Ministers. Instances
had also occurred, which afforded ground to charge
them with rashness and precipitation, when itf-was
considered in what a lofty stile they had dismissed
CHAUV EL IN, and refused to comply with the late
solicitations of OTTO, to renew Negotiations for
Peace. At a time when the first successes of lhe•
Allies had encouraged us with the hope of • driving?
France within her antient limits, Ministers had refus-
ed Negotiation ; and afterwards, when the eventsof
the War had shewn how impossible it was to impose a
Government upon an Armed Nation, and than° de.
pendance could be placed upon our Allies, even then
the opportunity of restoring Peace was negleCted.-,-
But at present he should confine himself to notice the
Overtures which had been made by -BONAPARTE
the last -year. When that matter was agitated in
that House, he recollected there were many Gentle.'
men Who, although they voted lot an Address of
Approbation of that impolitic Letter written in
answer tO.BONAPARTE'S proposal, did nut pledge
themselves against going into a futute
Upon former occasions they had .been told of the
solidity of the Confederacy, as a reason against
Inquiry.; but he would ask, had Ministers even then
no reason to susped the sincerity. of the Emperor
PAUL, and the formation of that Nprthern Con-
federacy which now threatened us ?, Had not Mi-
nisters then sufficient grounds for such suspicion ?-
Had not steps been taken and indications.shewn by
these Powers, particularly by the Swedes, that gave
strong grounds for apprehending a rupture with the.
Northern Powers ? Under all these circumstances,
Ministers; ice insisted, were inexcusable in rejeet.....
ing the overtures of Peace, and guilty of pursuing a
conduit into which the House ought at least to in,
quire ; and if this reasoning applied to the overtures
which had been made by the Enemy in January last
year, how much more to that made in October last
He acknowledged that the late Ministers were right
in refusing to agree to a Naval Armistice.; but after
the rejediou of that proposal, another overture had
been made by the Chief Consul for a separate Peace.
Why did Ministers reject this offer ? Was it be;
cause of the good faith which was due to our Allies ?
—This argument did not exist.. This Country
was not hound by any such faith by the EM.
P EROR of GERMANY. But after the Battle of
Marengo, and the subsequent Convention and Ar-
, mistice between the Emperor and France, all such
obligation was set aside. To give any force to
this plea, it would be not only necessary to shew
that-we were. bound not to enter into a separate
Negotiation, but also, that the EMPEROR of GER-
MANY remonstrated, after the Treaty. of I iohealin.
den, against this Country's entering upon a Nego,
tiation for a Separate Peace with France.-----So-far
from this,. that the fad he believed would he fclurid
to be,, that..ell oar intrigues and pecuniary advances
wife with a view of dissuading the Ex, k itjß from