The Sun.
London, England, 1803-06-04 00:00:00

NUMBER 3342.]

IMPERML PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF COMMONS.
FRIDAY, JUNE. 3.

MR. flAwx tr:s Bit owNE brought up a Report crow! the
Committee respeeling the Survey of the Highlands of Scot-
land, which was ordered to 'icon the Table and to be printed.
Mr. Pot.r. brought up the Ordnance Estimates, which
were ordered to lie on the Table; he gave notice of his in-
tention of moving them on Monday in the Committee of
Supply
Sir ionN ANDERSON brought up the Report of the Ships
13urning Bill which was reed anti agreed to, and the Bill
ordered to be read a third time on Monday.
The Ordnance Estate Bill was read a second time, and
• eiimMitted for Monday.
The Convoy Bill was read a third tune and passed. ;
Mr. Gtt.as, after some observations upon the necessity of
rendering the BMlery Oath, taken at Elettions,•tuore
ettrc-
tual, Moved for leave to bring in a Bill to repeal so much of
the A et of the 4td of His present Majesty, as relates to the
Oath or Affirmation respeeting Bribery, to be taken at Elec-
tions, enacted by the ad George 11.
CONDUCT OF MINISTERS.
Mr. PATTEN said, it was with infinite reluc.
tance :that he rose to address the house upon the
aubjed to which he had now to call their attention,
and which was certainly of the greatest importance...
He felt, however, that he had some claims upon their
attention, as this was, in the course of his Parlia.
. mentary career, but the third time that he had. tres-
passed upon their indulgence, and upon thepresent oc.
casion he should endeavour,to re-pay that indulgence.
by detaining the House far as short a time as possible.
It would' be recolleded that he had given notice of
a Motion previous', to the Recess, the objet of
which was, an inquiry into the state of the Na-
tion..' To this ,he was induced.from a variety of
circumstances at that periodrand it was certainly
only a sense of Public duty 'that could induce hint
• to depart from that very private charader which he
had held within. those walls. He had felt the
impropriety of the conduit of Ministers in with-
holding from, that House all information respeiing
'the State of the Country, from the period of the
Definitive Treaty to that of His Majesty's Mes.
sage. ,Subsequent .to that Message, the Pub-
lic Mind was for a long period kept in a state of
cruel suspence. During the period to which he
alluded, between the Definitive 'Treaty acid the
Menage, His Majesty's Ministers continued to
hold 'out hopes of the permanence of Peace, though
at the same rime, as it now appeired, that they
bad, during that very period, been engaged, if not
in adual Wattare with France, yet in a soft of Ne-
gotiation with that Power, in which the conduit of
• the latter was extremely suspicious. He- had been
induced to give the notice to which he alluded,
from what he felt upon the subject, that the People;
of Great Britain, loyal, brave, and generous as
they were, were entitled to some communica-
tion by means. of which they might obtain some
knowledge of the state of Public Affairs, and
he thought that Parliament was , the proper
medium of such a Communicatiort. It was upon
these grounds that 'he had given that notice, bUt he
was deterred from following it up by the. opinions
of Gentlemen more competent than himself to form a:
proper judgment upon such a question. He, had.
looked at the injuries which resulted to this Coun.
.try from the state of suspense in which it was placed;
be had seen that our 'Trade was cramped and cm.
barrassed, and that ,our Commerce was locked up
in qur Ports : he had however given way with re.
spat to that intended Motion, in deference to the
opinion of others. It might be said, why undertake a
task to which he confessed himself inadequate.. He
Confessed his incompetence with sorrow and regret,
but when Gentlemen of superior talents had taken up
the cause which he now took up, the universal cry
had been, that they were only anxious to remove
those Ministers whom they opposed, in order to
make, room for themselves-. .He wished that the
Treasury Bench opposite should be filled with all
the talents of the Country,. and that no man should
withhold the assist ante of his talents at such a crisis
as the present, but the imputation to which he hail
salluded, could not apply to him ;• his humble‘taleots
could not subjed "him to any such imputation...—.
He could have no, other consideration in view
but the Public- Good. In the situation, however,
in which •he had placed himself, he had.subjeded
himself to a variety of calumnies. So far at relat-
ed to -himself,, he treated, those calUmnies with the
the-greatest contempt,
,but to' others he. must do
justice. At the time he gave the, notice to
which .he had .alluded, he hid had no, coMmunica.
tion with any. man whatever. It had been
.said,
that he was a tool.. anti an instrument on this occa.
sion ; he despised the imputation, but he should.
not do those Right Hon. Gentlemen justice with
whom he was supposed to be conneded, nor should
he do himself justice, if he did not wish to be
classed with those men whose characters were looked
ap to with resped and yeneratiOn; 'not only „in this
country, but throughout Europe. There was lane
topic to which lie could riot help adverting with
• some astonishment, When an. Hon. Gentleman hose.
Ott a former occasion to vindicate the' character of
the First Lord of the Admiralty', who was .followed
by a Right Hon, Gentleman on the- other. of the
House, it was imputed to some Right Hon.
Gen-
tlemen, with whom he was supposed to be con.
netted, 'as if -they had arraigned the conduct of
the First Lord of the Admiralty, but all that
was said by them on the subject was, in incidental
expression which was used relative to fifty sail of
the line, and nothing farther. The fuel was,' that
those calumnies on the First Lord• of the Admiralty
.were to be found in the Ministerial Paper 4, or at
least those which were understood to be conneCted
with Ministry. On a former occasion an Hon:
"entleman had adverted to the opinion which cer-
tain Gentlemen had formed. respeairg the Anna.
n'tnis in at.: Ports of Fiance.. Thotie he was