The Sun.
London, England, 1809-02-08 00:00:00

pit ct, wode:naterallytherefore be among the to-
les to which the Noble Lord would propose to di-
rect the attention'id the House. But- it would ap-
pear from the wording of the Noble Earl that. it was
not the campaign` in Portugal, that it was trot
the Cintra Convention, that it was not the condud
afthe war.in Spain, .that the NOble Lord was 1111X1-
DOS to investigate an inquiry into ; but -the state of
the Nation at large, Could any thing be more vague
and indefinite, than the object of such,an inquiry?
If the Noble Earl meant an. inquiry into the state of
the Nation, as'atreiited ti y,the•Convention enneluded
iti Poringal, or by Ile!: plan and conduCt.4;the Vvfrar,:
in Spain, .1t might perhaps be possible.sv to shape.
the Noble Eirt'S motiOn, as to,rentove the ob.:,
jettions which ht now entertained; to it : but then,
;19 a previota step, the Neble Earl should move, for
iniOrmation upon each of these points. He and the
'louse ShOuld first be in posiession of the real facts, .
before they proceeded to .pronouhet a judgment on.
Matters which hereafter might prove ,to be %%11014
uttfomided. Every informatitin which might be
safely laid befote the PUblic, his'Majesty's Ministers
were ready VO produce. They were equally ready
and prepared to meet any,inveStigation of their con,
dna which it might he thought proper to institute;
bot to agree 10 tt, motion for a Cinnmittee to inquire
generally into the titate of the Nation, would be only
asienting to t',at which must breed much confusion,
create Many ineonveoienees, and end be pry-
ductive of,no advantage whatever. As to what had
been said respecting the liberty of the press, his de-
cided opinion was, that; the existing laws, if duly
enforced, were fully sufficient to represS
oustiess ,into which it might degenerate; Ott tlpt
subject, therefore, the Noble Earl might feel no
alarm; • It waS it) vain to say, as had been said at the
ppening of the Session, that the misconduct of Mi-
niaters was obvious; it was so obvious, where was

the necessity of any inquiry to sheW it ? Bt4 he de..
Med that any tniscondutt was imputable to his Ma-
jesty's Givernment. It should at least hhve;been
steted-in what perticular points that misconduct was
to'b'e foonderL Information should he called for,
slid facts ascertained which would prove in what the
misconduct consiste I. To proceed to an investiga-
tion of -the meilearee ot Gbvereinent. without any
!acts or information:to guide the Judgment of the
House, would Only,be running into a blind inquiry,
which could 'never leek! It:Only satisfactory result, ..
Lord Easmier. perfectlyeegreed with his Noble
end Learned It'rieud its the sentiments beim(' ex-
pressed respecting the liberty of the press. . It was
ono ot the greatest bleAings of our free ConStitu=,
flee, and thwie who colt:etiolated it were the only
criminals, fornot kno gyring how to defend their own
dienitv. • was one question. wliieh,it would not
.
be necessat yao distuss in the CoMmittee proposedby
his NeWeeFriettd; There was 'abundant, matter be-
sides that Tequired lobe minutely iuquired into.. He
didnor tLitik the motion of his Noble Friend should
Abe narrowed to the Cintra Conventietvor the cone
duct of the war-in Spain. The conduct of Minister's.
towards S vvetien, • for example„' should alio be taken
into coniiderntio'n ; and whatever else might
cularly require a rigid- exeminalion. • So fir.he imae.
glued the scope of hes Noble,Yriend's Motion might:
be limited; but mm farther;; nod, whenever an itfr
qoiry was feirly iteititoted• into• thefke Matters, be
311,3131,1 be ready to prove that- the conduct ot his Ma-
jesty's Ministers in most of these .respects awns el)!
ireiusly 'to be blamed,
Lor.l Gaosy ENoit, in explanation, said, that he
should have uo übj;;ilion to shape his motion in
any manner that Might meet The wi-dies of the
House, so however its not to hazard the attainment
of the obj,',?:t which he'lut in view in subioAting to
their Louiship's attention.
The Earl of LIViIItPOOL contended, thatmotions
so, vagoEy framed had long laden' censi:lcred as irre-
gn!ali and unpariiamentary ;' and he. was Rereowliat
serptized :to heer teem •so mech, insisted upon by'
the Noble Baron • (Gienville)-oeposite bin). For
the hist twenty years,' mrtiiioly a: paid& the moil
eventful in one. history; 1110110ns, detibr, of a: si-
miler moire, had ftepently been brought furWatd
in both lions...s of Parliament. where were 'certainly
events, within that tqmorable which were
attended.withconsequences of, the most serioue au-
tilre, consequences tulle as serious aA any a more
recent date ; he might instance,lwo, the loss of
/1(4.A, and the .retreat from 'Dunkirk ; yet when
motions.were made Similar to the present,. in enuse-
que,Dee. of these everts,' they were übje&ed to- by
the i'4oble Baron,: who was a conspicuous Member
of the Adnunistration of• that day, and in Ihe °pi,'
pion of the,Noble Baron ,he had the honour 'trot:M:7
cur. Perhaps, if an Administration wished to baffle
'miry, and shelter themselves front censure, they
mie.,ht best answer the teCTI. el by agreeing to a CA.
Mitti.e n the,state e! the Nation ; fur iodiseusF,ions
of such wide uncircumseribed extent', it was erls to
avoid • coining to point npoe Which they might
feel most voleerahle. Iteieed such motives were
rather calcolated.to confeutel and confuse
,t he ob-
pas investigaticrn, tl)itn to lead to and' certain re-
stilt. He should therefore for these reasons oppose
the motion of the Nyble Earl, not becauso.he'was
fearful to meet 4,quity, which, on the contrary, he ,
courted, but betenise the House would be ,
(elle groping in the dark, oelesi they had before
them real 410etnoeitts, and an 4icenra!-2 statement of.
li.)/itre by w alone the eondu& of his Majesty's
!bey propriety of the.measures,titey
lasi l=ts~ wet cl, c. 111,1 be fairly 301)0:Tinted.
IV,olltA, in a veiy animated speech, animad-
veiled on t.e. I.lliScOndtl4 'of M•triiaters, which be%
NVoi:00 not heesitate to pronounce hats been obiious in
a variety of instances. NeVerwas any'Adniinitere.,
lion so 'hacked by the uniennoos acquiescence of the
wliole Dation in the desire of atilirding atsistance to
• spike Not a Britoil but was ready to Open his
Ittir,o, or hit his arm, to tiopport the cause of the
tate cd Spain. Yet ware 'thew' ardent wishes,
alacrity to make- every time iiice tier Spain on the
et: the whole netiOo, frestrated by the tnisc.on.
deo if his Majesty's Government. He euquired no
ducttne,ahto :spew 'how obViol.l% was
'was evident in every step they took. How
111%c they d,e,erted Sweden, after every 'difficulty
reel ditiegc.r had betel incurred for the comirootieuse
by the gelieet Seveidieti ot that country ? By tisk-
. ni,„; the loss or ehena:ion of .Sweden, what power
clid they give to Dentwirk tountioy aod injure us
elhe.ekly to ) vouch disposed do so, front tho cruel
itijosece• she had experienced at -our hands. And,
if wet wined the' loss at Sweden, with the hostile
thwu3i; ton which the ruiscondud of Governioem