The Sun.
London, England, 1809-05-05 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HO LSE OP PEERS,

TAURSDAY) MAY 4.

Alll E lki CA.

The Ordor of the Day being read,
SHLKI RK ro•o, pursuant to notice, to submit
a motion to ther Lordships respeiiiing the character
of the affair WhiCh took place in tBO7, between his
Maje9y!s.tfigate the Leopard, and the icrigate •of
the United States, the Chesapeake; of the causes
t nit let' • to iti arie, ot, the coriserpienves with-which
Mai:be attended. ;'1 matter. of this 'motion he
longinedit,red:). and could not, consistent with
what 'he:felt-To tie his ,tuty,‘ deliiy any longer laying
before the HOUSC the notions, and the apprehensions
Which it gave risein lkis mind. It might. be ne
first, to refresh their Lordships'.
„ teculiection of the transaction he•ttad'tri altode to.—
...T.tlQ.Nonle Lord, then proceeded to read-,a variety of
documents, from Which he derived proofs-to slew,
that the American officers, that Commodore Baron,
himself, could not but be convinced that the men
lie had taken Owl on bpardtheßritishship, and ad.
mitten into the American 'service, were not
ricans born, but British subjeds, and ,cleserters from
the •British service, Even one of them had-his
• name at full length, and the place of his nativity,.
written on hisleft arm., Others -ef them bed, as
usual, otherinarks on their bridies, Which attested
• the place of their birth, and proved' them to be British'
siThjeets ; they were besides recognized on 'shore by
several British Office's, who knew them to belri-
tish seamen., If further proof were wanting of this
conviaion at the moment, on the mind of the Ame-
rican officers, that proof would be found in what
came out upon the trial 'of thesdeserters, which took
'place at Halifax, aod during the course of which
some of the deserters avowed themselves to be Bri-
tish stibjeas, and acknowledged the means by which
they had been entrapped into the service of Atte-
riCa. Yet with all this convtelion on their 'minds,
they•refused to giVe up the deserters,- and continued
so obstinate 'in this refusal, as to compel the Coin-
mander of the Leopard to employ force:tO,reeover
the British seamen, which lie had aseertain'e&were,
On board the Chesapeake. . These were among the
chielcircumstances 'which led. to the .affair in cities-.
lion, a breach of our naval 'rights and privileges
.which sheuld not be allowed to pas's o:erunexplitin-
ed and unafoned for: If therefore negotiations were
now, penoitie
,between this' Country and the ilme
rican poverument, this affaitia between the Leopard
and Chesapeake, and, the grOunds upon which it
took place, ,•filionld be most seriously -attended to.—
This bhsiness involved a question of the highest it-a- •
• parlance ; tt involved the claim. of our naval pre-
eminence, it involved the source of our commercial
prosperity, arid indeed' of our national, 'greatness : the
opportuniti, therefore should 'be seized, doily to
ascertain these points, and to ,bring the Ame-
ricanGovermnent to ari unqualified and 'indefinite
acknoWledginent of these It should be
• .shevvn at the same tithe that wedid not asstime•this'.
naval dominion for our own prote.Pion only, but that
our naval power, should be a-shield to be wielded
for the protection of all neutral tiattons.•. Conceiving
'that their Lordships! minds. must be impit:ssed with
the ueci;_silty of coming to a Clear understanding on
these pointS with the Government of. the United
States, ' be should
.content himself with moving an
harrible Address. to. his Majesty, praying that' be
would be pleased to dired, that in
,the tiegotiations
now pending, this point'be particularly attended to.
The motion being read, • • • "
'The Earl of Ltvertroot. objeaed to it, not only
on
.the grounds which he touched 'upon when the
NOlale\,Lotd" gave notice of his motion, which grounds
Were the. iiiipropriety of agitating lin;se points at'a •
nionent-when 'negotiations were nr fruit upon t
but on the
,groitott that it a ttS ameonstitutional in
. 'that Home to interfere with their advice'divring the,
progress of a negotiation, the opening of whicli
longed to the prerogative of the Crown, and for the
condat and chaia6ter of which .the Ministers of the.
. Crown 'were rosponsible. It will take ttl,it. pm' oga;
five from the Crown, and looseo Ministera from all ,
responsibility, if 'that Parliament slionliVdi6tate to
them what course they shoutd plume. As soon as-,
a treaty was, concluded, it was. the duty of Ministers.
to submit it to Pat !lament, and obtain' the santiion
of
.Parliament for its stipulations. Such he conceived
to be the, constitutional linie usually observed on 'such
occasions ; but to interpose Iho advice of Parliament
during the progress of a negotiation,wilb the grounds
-and matter of which Parliament must be supposed'
to be unacquainted, appeared to him to have the of a Most extraurdinary mode of proceed-

ing.

lord Sit:mourn agreed with, the Noble Earl in
'most of 110 ohjettions to the ,motion, of Noble
Friend ;. but he cotild not-adtnit it tube unconstitu-
,tional 'in that House to.ottertneir advice respeaing
the subje& of a negotiatiOn. The History of the
Country, and the Jourhals Of 11),!ir 1,01-,!s!-..!ps' House,
'furnished abundant instances of stlei intertlenee ;
but' to prescribe- the opening, or to;intertere other-
Nviie than by advice in the eonduet
be wasirqady c)neknowledze would be iroprolet and

The Ear, 1 of. 1,1172.nr00r, not deny that §)tch
precedent§ existed; but they only indicawd the
power of advice.

- Lord SELKIRK briefly replie,4 ; after 'which frbe
question was put
,and negatived without .a division,
' BAtiLLEV.
Lord RIMESPALE prestited a Petition from the
Respondents,' stating some extraordinary hardships
they would sutrer if the hearing of this 'Appeal was
protraEted, and praying that tire cause •might' be
Leant on the 9th of May instant.

.Mr. Lowe %Trifled the allegntibns of the Petition.

Mr.'ltoberson,Was heard in behalf of the Appel.
littit, and represented, _that a departure from the or-
dinars, coube of proceeding would deprive his Client
of the oppor!unity Of meeting the Respondents on
equal ground, whose case was already in print. He
trusted their Lordships would not grant the prayer of
the Ntition, by Axing an earlier day for the hearing
than would allow the Appellant u, Opporttipity Of
priming his case for the intOrniatiOn of the House;
time, 'he was.4IIXiOUS fora speedy deci-.
that the cause be beard .on •Tuebdar
of May.—Adjourut:d. - •