The Sun.
London, England, 1815-04-21 00:00:00

) i

. .
the- Ptriv* ' J Covetntnent
and lie_
.. . isionaof France. ;
tii_ therefore, be had agreed to' it. In, fact,
'• ot could
hoc satlintity of 'Vie British Government
-....,ea_
It- tp. 'a4 been interiiiised between the
,'",
_._
11.'an'l those Who recommetitled it. .*-:The ""
-stop
;..4., ,ivas not
,',"),eilts •sis -lie had stated formerl, •
...
,saw
itili,°: nis inakiag ;' tit time when he'
a ' 11'41 assittnea 4 very grave and serioush7itfr_let,oit.
it roacittsive stogie - and, it it had been -re Jr:
All-
ii,,,nolti litiv6 been the means of placiligtL. fall
Al-
!ettext in the !mast odious light. The Noble,l.• the
adverted to. the t.,lleged -violation 3 hie,.
or of Fontaitibleau --(nr. Aberernm .
n.
'''s the table, ohseesed, that he
3-
1,4.-e 'my breach of the Treaty to this country. )--
Lt!
did not ti►
la
;'ll'i Hon. Gentleman did not mean this part of
) ';‘).,ecit its an attack upon Ministers—if be
as
l'A notice the infraction ot the
.Treaty
lie erto.
r for Which Ministers were answietriwili!es
j4l°llg,llt not to have introduced it At all. '
to 13"'ible for Ins Majesty's Government to answerl
lir the conduct of foreign,powers—and it
eiright to condemn those powers, becauseemtih(e.
I:)Planiitinns which Gentlemen called fur
with
IL„t he given. It was neither consistent i
fh` brdrs of that House, nor w'''s it beneficial
tle-
t r the country, if the opportunity of every
,0„.
hi4„ie, was to be seized, for the purpose `of
Itl'it4ening .to
character of . those poliwiesrsLoridl...
Ibiurit we were closely connected
_ov
G eminent
w.,1) denied that the faith of this
0.. Fun_
tai Pledged to any part of the Treaty
. r
I,„}liblea, except that which authorised Btiona-
iFfitte's removal to the Island of Elba. If they
it was
.4 far
4 hot oppose that arrangement,
at thegiv•eil, ohligation extended. He had himself-
-11 in a written -declaration zi--1 this sub)e.ct—t
\iv which it was explicitirstated, that his Majesy
lir!: ;July bosun' by his own acts, and would
11-,`l,se accountable for those of a third party.
ti t" respect to -the arrangement for the pro%l.
tr(nl of Ilse Empress Maria Louisa, it moat now
rit neeed on a principle of generosity alone ; since
'alts'eaty under which that prosision was spee-
itid becante a ntillity-the moment Buona_Pair.
!list it, by landing in France. He admitted
tail
Plans had beeu agitated in Congress,
Louisa
t,'re, to the territories granted to Maria .
s(4,tne Treaty of Voiltainhlean. But those
ihtl:s certainly would not Have been carried
I e elect, without a full and adequate consent
otia, •
.„ '' g'ven to them . There were ditEcsitlies
•a,eet . . • . ~.,.." . • :
1-..., ea with - the ce'sti. ot.the Duchies
.in:
`o,tiltiled
for -hr' nsaintenanee; - which tendeled
~,it e ahey.ation als'soltitelY. necessary. He- knew
re„,;,‘,"4 tbe Ettipfess Alstria Louisa' pleased to
titi ii,1,41 Vientia--but there WAS 110 Sjii)iil4tt°ll
ihs"e 'freal y directing that she should proceed to
a. 1.1 ,: 1);: il ,
~ 4e Lo.tild assare the 116 n:
Cori:"r ' ' ' ' .heard ot any listen
- . h(tore that night,
Gentleniao that.
, so remove R•le,n,y,
i ..rie either to :•.;•t•Heletia)or
til, talei.,,„ • ;:•••,,,.,.-is •,1 ;.,tentioa newer was mentic..n-
f4',."t Congrts.s.. INiither, did he feceive oily ":".
iii;:l;atino of- Ais liptended departnre. front Bib; '
.4"is
.that event had ai3,,illy trake lilace--'.l
.iikt,, e.; lig. to th,.e. Tr rat ~t, of i!si,,,tainbieau j he lippeu
it' q ifetti-ii.N.i,..-h,it tr,,m the .Q,‘,01.ny,„,,1t of a pol
1,,‘1t-.4tch N'til"'''',ll---i).; 14,01;,,,i f,,,1,
.Clirity ill th
jt!'.._'.! IrigS Of the Pre.7,cl tit,: „ :, ~,.,i,i: were strongly
','.!`'''l in ti;-...:0v with. which they received theie--!
t(x4'"e 80‘er,..,.1,-,i.,'-•:-,,,,i' it-, tne ple they.
Invs,stal at t ;,, • a„,,),,,,., nr4e_ of a tyrant lie
vt"III(I in,)t cOitc '' thati .
1 ' who had long
_rive a prop e,
ileriZehreli?st lell;davilt.;:isli;e(;)ll'iravisistiictee:lllis.e7l
despotism, would,
it, bow
t)7. ill,4g'illt.• . I'vtiserithleineed would be the state
assn it-tirld, if the only protection against the
inlition el the Throne of •France by lisiona-
-2.-Ile' was to be fotind in this country's dtavring
- '''''"l ei-a-dfin round the Isle of Elba—a ineasule
'4,,litil, -h crentehtled, we bad no right, under the
;I.:a' V,
~ to resort to. Respecting that part o(
I„..nsasis which called tidon Isis Majesty's (39-
1•', ' to••!ht to lay ht-lote 'the House any inlota'a7
ti:. •%if:, h they received upon the subject, he
I ' '''llY saY, that very little information hod
1 ' '''-'eeived, and that which was received
t .:
,so crude, mid of so unsatisfactory a nature,
t, ,k' It "'nil's! niit warraut any proceeding being
tii'le'n 111:Zicl it,' ',U,1)61; the whole, be submitted
I:;.;t.tititolt....ti.,l,,ee 'sat, nett] Made out which
‘"")11141
iiii::::i.lesinhetttionns vi'4llll7c"lstehai(lll ttahkeeil:rePsitit.4lelPtci4o)nnhtlhaatt
the
l
contetsiplated. If the Hon. Gentleman
for :''''''d in the Naval Estimates large charges
%, ll4lliillg the Isle of Elba, and tor exercising
, .
t " "I Police over 13uonapstrte„ previous to the
ecent eve
tt,liiit„llts, he had no doubt that such charges
treilie' Itate bt.ert pronounced ridiculous in the ex
that t.--Cii(Heal. 1) He hoped the House would- 3ce
(eli''' has a mere after discovery of the. Hon•
th".ulll4
atiii "gree "'nit him in thinking that
Ileghp.w'is not e
llth slightest ground fur itoPoting
hat;:`,''re to his ajestv's Governuseitt, and us
*lit ,i`„ti"asinti he lead no hesitation in
14r4, i°4- negativing
''rt,,,,,"'LlroVr said, that as the House 11..t1
ita.,,ta‘oetiea the' hands ot his Majesty's Govern -
right itt• q 1 tile"
preptratiotis for war, they had a
I ...., w
IT'i^'w'all for an ineuirV into the circumstances
P e
ei'e likely to lead 415 into this calamity.--
at,:ii 'xidalsation of the Nolile Lord had by no
bate3l'iiiveil the doubts of the negligence of A.l.i-
-, t
()," extenuated the censure against them to
Na'e,ii,!4'neert with the Allies.. The declaration.
tit .nt,.., t,
iNii the . the negotiations at Chatillon, which
• 13' a, e niiPo,sibilit'y of entertaining relations
obit.et"ei and amity with litionaparte, had for its'
tir'h i t•l't eleittAloo of that person from the slum-
IN
it' , Which- Ise then existed. The person who
.
tti te"" five liandred thousand of his subjects
i.,1
sac '
old
-ee(' in* the terrible climate of •Ittis-'
el 114.':) 11()t ilflle turned spaniel, if he had
lc-etilbnsell 'in the fortaidahle situation he was
14',,ii, t'l i 9. ilia when Ise was placed in the
t'sts;,e,'lane'tn, no rescon could be given why
qith(s „;:es sbottid not have been taken to preireut
n 1,,,,.
l'.'ibilty of his,retnrn. - The report of some.
(litit'l 'ke•-n - imiletstatidina. amongst our Naval
vii.ii rs was just enough to give him an idea that
15it,,,31,11'e Was deemed accessary,' but whh'h vigi.'
hil,it;i'nev did not exereise. It: was scarcely pos.-
(iii,coitilfili(2l,...•_C, atiipheli had coinnittiticat..elev,vl.ith this:
k. c.,,,,,t(1".'t but that it tiltisZ-have putt on
izsil'iie ''"ii
ilea ougist immediately to 'lave c°111"
i1tL1,:i.,,0 aied wthe Allics oti the subject.. As to
14gthdt SlioliaNirte 111i,lit 'slave escaped, was
t 1,4 I'L.."111"1. 1):)t takitig'7l)VecalltiOtlS to prevent
.0 was three days at sea, and a couple

of fiiptes might kW:T.' intercepted him. No such
precautions were taken, antl-'such 'a complete ab-
settee of all discretion On the part tor Ministers. de-
served the utmost censure. With this feeling ou
his mind, he should vote for the motion.
The Hon, F. DoUGLAS said that he at that time,
as at all *ruer periods, was of (-pinion that the
Treaty of Fontainblean wa3 politic and wise. Buo-
naparte had at the'time when it Was concluded
30 or 40,000 of the old guards, refreshed by des-
pair—(a laugh), who had-followed hito in all his
victories, and would have spent for him their last
drop of blood. His real force, too, was greater
than his apparent force. If the war bad been
coutioned, even Augereau's and Marmont's troops
might have gone over to him, as they had done
on a recent occasion. It was not to gain France
alone., but to gain Italy, that the treaty was con-
cluded. The'Frencb army then had obtained ad-
vantages in all its engagements, and was command-
ed by a General not inure respectable from his fi-.
delity to the person who employed him, than be-
loved by his
.soldiers, for bis chivalrous and ho-
nourable character. He contended, that as ti at
treaty was politic, neither bad it since been vio-
lated by the Allies. The _ Archduchess Maria
Louisa was unwilling to accompany Buonaparte,
and there was no article in' the Treaty to compel
her. The territories of Placentia and Parma had
been granted to her, and it was with -her ,own
consent that they were about to be changed for
other territorial possessions. Thu money stipu-
lations could not 'be said to be violated, as the
year had not elapsed. Besides, private renom-
strances bad been made by the Allies to the French
Government. As to the idea that Buonaparte
was to be rt‘ioved to St. Lucie or St. Helena, it
could only have arisen from some idle paragraph
in an English newspaper. The wanton breach of
the Treaty by Buonaparte mit;ht teach the people
Preince how to value-his professions on the sub-
ject ofliber;74. These professions, and his boasted
charters, were nl in the words of
a great Historian, Veri sPeci"sa, re inania out
subdola quantoque majore liber:Jilit imagine tege-
bantur tanto eraptum ad infensius servi:inm.
Mr. Rontssoti entered into a detail of the mi-
litary operations previous to the capture of
by whicli he proved the iniposs.bility -of Lord
Castlereagh communicating with Lord Cathcart ;
in fact, the Treaty of Fontainbleau was signed
helot e his Lordship knew any thing about it, he
having been absolutely cut off from the main army
by the detour of Buonaparte, and ohliged to retire
upon Dijon. He cooteaded, that in this Treaty
the feelings of thk.: French people were consulted
in the most minute degree, and that, if its ar-
rangements had not 13:eu concluded, an obvious-
advantage would have been 10-st, and a most se-
rious calamity have happened, instead of it.
Mr. I'OaSONBY observed, that the object of the
motion was no, to determine 'whether the Treaty of
Footainblean was wise or not, or necessary or not;
hut to ascertain what steps had been taken to pre-
serve it. Au Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Doug-Its)
had said, that nothing' was so difficult as to give
good advice before events happened, and molting
so easy as to make wise retiectiwis afterwards ; but
it did tint appear that Ministers had been able to
-give good advice before the Treaty of Fontainbleau
wits signed, or that they had made tiny wise reilec
tuns since it was concluded. The Honourable
Gentleman had also spoken of the dangers to be
apprehended from the soldiers of Buonaparte, who
were refreshed by despair. Now' he (Mr. P.)
had reach in one of the finest poets, of Despair, in
the character of a nurse. attending the sick,—

4, nosily ..
" From couch to couch, Despair attends the sick':"

but be did not know that the sick were much re-
freshed by despair,—(it laugh )—lt' had been
stated, that Ministers had made private represen-
tations to the Government of France respecting
the performance of the Treaty of Fontainblean ;
but this only sheaved their opinion that the!Treaty
matte with Btionaparte had not been observed.
He would not have it understood that he meant
to justify Napoleon, but it was clear that the
Treaty had been violated. to the first place it
was said that his wife was not disposed. to follow
him, and that there was no stipulation in the
Treaty for her going : but was there any
stipulK-
tiou to deprive him of the society of his son ? 'lO
woihold his offspring frosts him, and to de-
prive him of kis rights, was a direct, manifest,
-and palpable violation of the Treaty. The.
Noble Lord had said, that if any agreement had
been made to induce the Empress and her son
to part with Parma and Placentia, it was
on the ground of an adequate consent. But
where could there be an adetinate consent ?
Such consent could he given by Biumaparte only,
for it was clear that an infant could not consent.
The Allies had, therefore,'manifested great want
of judgment, as it was their duty to maintain the
Treaty with Napoleon, and not to furnish him
with the smallest reason for complaint. If any
instructions had been given to the naval officers,
even verbal instructions, they might he laid before
the House. He considered that it was.tlte duty Of
Government so far to watch over the execution of
the Treaty of Fontainblean, as to take care that.
Buonaparte should not be in a situation to resume
die Government of France. He _had heard that
Ministers hild information of the designs of 800-,
naparte to invade France, but that they did not
,think this information worth attending to. He
should wish that this information, whatever it wai-,
shouloe laid on the table of the house, that they
inightsee whether it was so frivolous', that Ministers
Were justified in wholly disregarding it. He telt
convinced, that whenever the period should ar-
rive for discussing the conduct of the Noble Lord
With respect to Naples, it would appear that both
the policy and the character of the country were
more committed by his conduct on that occasion,
than they bad ever before been committed by the
conduct -'of. any Minister in this- country. If the
war had now begun in Italy, he thought there
could be no doubt but,that it was a consequence
'of The violation of treaties, to which the faith and
honour of this country was completely pledged.
• Mr. BATHURSi thought that the Right Hon.
Genileman- had gone into questions unconnected
with the subject now before the House. Without
refer ring to papers before the House, lie had ex-
pressed his opinion and his conviction, of what
would be the result when the proper time for diso
mission should conic. Hu should' venture to say,

I however, that when that time should come, nei-
ther the Noble Lord or any of his colleagues would
shrink from the investigation of their conduct. He
Conceived that the Right Honourable Gentleman
who spoke second (Mr. Elliott) had, in the
warmth of his feelings npon the circumstance
which had unfortonntely taken place, ess ggerated-
the calamity. It was not fair to-attribute to this
Government the defects of the Treaty of FOntaio-
bleau : if it was the result of military policy, it
Most he recollected that his'Noble Friend was not
at Paris when it was concluded, and iris absence
could trot be attributed to any fault of his. He,
therefore,. did not consider that this Government
could be called upon to defend the policy of the
Treaty of Foutainbleamt. The alleged, infractions
ofthis treaty were not set forward by Buonaparte at
the timeof his invading France, although after they
had been suggested by other persons, he thought
proper to state them, probably not from any idea.
of its being necessary with the French people,
but thinking that it might possibly serve his cause.
with other nations. After 'the treaty, however,
was concluded, he. thought that it should have
been kept. By this treaty, Buonaparte was cer-
tainly not considered in the light of a prisoner.,
but as the independent Sovereign of the Isiaod of
Elba. It would -be quite inconsistent with the
character in which lie was recognized by the
treaty, if we had assumed a right, in peace as well
as in war, to visit every -merchant 'vessel in the
Mediterranean,' to see whether he was on board
OE not. He must, therefore, oppose any tnotion
for the production of instructions to our Naval
Officers, as, in point of fact,
,there were no
instructions of that nature either written or ver-
bal. There was certainly an understanding _and,
an impression on the minds of our Naval Officers,
that if he was met with, in circumstances cleat ly
manifesting hostile intentions, they bud a right to
stop him.-
- Sir J.. MACKINTOSH said, the question before
the House was, whether a sufficient case had not
been- made dot for the-House to inquire into the
conduct of his Majesty's Ministers, with respect
to an occurrence which threatened .the peace of
Europe. • There could be no real difference of opi-
-7.;;;',1. 4.1 that floa3c, As to the fatal effects of the
negligence of his Majesty's-Ministers. 'lbis event
had brought back upon Europe all those calami-
ties and -dangers from which the Noble Lord and
his colleagues last year took credit to themselves
for having delivered the world. • The Government
had resolved to shift the responsibility of the con-
duct proper to be pursued, from their own shoul-.
tiers, arid to leave it entirely to the understanding
and impressions which were on the minds of the
Captains of our ships croizing in the Mediterra-
nean. He would, however, contend, that Mini-
sters had a right; and it was their hommden duty so
far to interfere, as to take care that the main, and
indeed the only material article in the 'Treaty of
Fontainhleatt should be executed. It was said, in
defence of Nlinisters, that what had happened was
so improbable, that other people had as little idea
of it as they had. If, however, watchmen were to
be found asleep on their post -at the time-of dans
ger, it would he but a poor excuse for them to say,
that other people wereotsleep at-the-saute• time.—
]f other people slept, it was because they supposed
the watchmen were awake. The Hon: Gentleman
then commented at some length on several parts
of the speech of an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Doug-
las), and-expressed a wish that he had given time
House moreof that iortal information about Elba,
in which his superiority would he incontestable,
instead of those general observations, in which his
superiority %VAS not so evident.
Mr. CHARLES -GRANT observed, that if the
Treaty of Footainbleau wars really liable to such
radical objections, the Getilleamen opposite, who
were now so loud in its censure, ought to have
foreseen and pointed them out last year,—they
who, this • Session had afforded such remarkable
specimens of the delicacy with which they treated
subjects, and of their unwillingness to embroil the
foreign relations of this country ! When it was
oniverally acknowledged that the general purport -
of that Treaty was that of moderation and cle-
mency, what a serious responsibility would his
Noble Friend have taken upon hitnself and the
country which he represented, had he alone stood
out for severity of ttcatment Every Gentleman
must recollect the enthusiastic feelings of the
moment when the Treaty was concluded, and how
a disposition was thus naturally produced to act
with moderation towards him who had so extraor-
dinarly fallen from his Wa''tt honours ; but time
saute course was equally' dictated by policy as
by feeling, for Buonaparte was not in that deserted
and denuded state which required of, hint an tins
conditional surrender. But, they had one security
against the return of Bnouap4rte, and that was in
the oaths and professed allegianceof the army and
time French people to the family of the Boushons.
Could 'any man have' 'anticipated that degree of
depravity which had matiifested itself in the army
anti among the Marshals of France ?—(Hear !).
Could any man have supposed such a want of grin-
, ciple and of honour,—ohat honour on which the
French:soldiery had always affected to pride them-
selves ? The annals of profligacy did not afford
such another example of baseness. He would ask,
also, what degree of vigilance short of actual con-
finement and restraint would have precluded that.
individual Irons making his escape ? .On what
principle could we have blockaded Elba in time of
peace ? But if Ministers had followed the system
of coercion and espionage, what then would have.
been the language of time Gentlemen opposite ?
They would have said, that we gave him rights
Ind a treaty, and in the face of that treaty, had
broken it. If any thing could have justified the
breach of treaty by Buonaparte himself, it would
have, been the coming upon him with all the force
of Europe, and stripping him of all. He would
also beg leave to remind the HOuse, that our gua-
rantee did not extend to the pecuniary part of the
treaty.

Air. WHITBREAD spoke at considerable length,
in the course of «•Bich he alluded to a variety of
observations that h►ui fallen from Gentlemen in
the debate. Ile had not, as the Noble Lord haci
in►puted to him, called Buonaparte a great man
in the real se►►se of that word, because be had
seen many littlen.sses in his conduct in adversity
as well as in prosperity. • It was possible, how-
ever, he might yet reform ; it sews possible that
iu the second part of his history even, he P!,ight