The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-01 00:00:00

FRENCH AGGRESSION AT OTAHEITE.

Sir C. NAPIER said he wished to put a question to
the Right Hon. Baronet opposite; of great importance
to the character and reputation of this country. He
had not given notice of bis intention to put the
question, but it referred to a matter of such public
notoriety, that he hoped the Right Honourable Ba-
ronet would be able to give him an answer. The ques-
tion he had to put was, whether it was true that the
British Consul at Otaheite had been arrested under the
English flag by the French authorities; whether the
lights of the English residents were obliged to be put
out at, eight o'clock in the evening by the orders of the
French; whether the French had established strong for-
tifications there ; and whether, in consequence of these
operations, Queen Pomare had been obliged to take
refuge on board a British ship ? He also wished to ask
whether, at the time these operations were going on,
there was a British force at the island, and if so, to what
extent ?

Sir R. PEEL said, though the Hon. and Gallant
Officer has not given me notice of the question, yet two
other Hon. Members, the Noble Lord the Member for
Dorsetshire, and the Hon. Member for Evesham, have
notified to me that it is their intention to put a ques-
tion of a similar nature to that of the Gallant Officer ;
they will perhaps excuse me if, as the Gallant
Officer has the precedence of them, though he has
not given notice of his question, I take the opportunity
of answering my Noble Friend and the Hon. Member
in the reply I give to the Gallant Officer. In doing so,
I must limit myself to the statement of those facts which
are of the most importance. Among these is the
removal of the British Consul. We have received ac-
counts from Otaheite, and presuming on the accuracy of
these accounts, which I have no reason to call in ques-

tion, I do not hesitate to say that a gross outrage:
accompanied by a gross indignity, has been com-
mitted.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") Her Ma-
jesty's Government received information to this ef-
fect on Monday last, and we have taken the first
opportunity of making those communications to the
French Government which we considered the circum-
stances called for. The outrage was committed by a
person in temporary authority at Otaheite, and from
what we know of the facts it was not committed
in consequence of any authority given him by the
French Government. Presuming that the accounts are
accurate, I apprehend that the French Government will
at once make such a reparation as we think this country
has a right to require. I trust I shall not be pressed for
any further information on the subject.—(Hear.)
Sir -C. NAPIER said there was one part of his
question which the Right Hon. Baronet had not an-
swered—whether a proper force was stationed at Ota-
ht•ite at the time, and whether the French had esta-
blished fortifications on the island ?

Sir R. PEEL said he had given the Hon. and Gallant
Officer all the explanation necessary.

DROPPED ORDERS.

When the dropped orders of yesterday were called
on, for the purpose of being disposed of,
Mr. WYSE expressed a wish to bring in the Art-
Unions Bill at once.

Sir R. PEEL hoped the Hon. Gentleman would give
precedence to the motion of his Noble Friend, on the
subject of Captain Warner's invention, which stood for
yesterday, and which had been put off at the re-
quest of the Government, as he understood that
there was a general feeling throughout the House
that it would be proper that his Noble Friend should be
afforded an opportunity of bringing forward his motion.
POOR-LAWS (SCO'rLAND)—LUNATICS IN THE