Star.
London, England, 1808-02-12 00:00:00

PAXLIAMENTARr PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FEBRUARY 11.
Mr. JOHNSON, from the Chief Secretary's Office in Ireland,
presented the ssd Report of the Commissioners of Aoeountsin
Ireland; also the annual Accounts of the said -•••"
wnich, upon Abe motion of Lord WALSINGHA
to be printed.
4AWISILSIM.
Lord SU:MOUTH stated, that he rose for thel
Turpose of giving notice of a motion of some impor-
tance, the substance of which he would state to the
House. It was, that an humble Address be presented
to his M3.jesty, that he would order the Danish .ahips
of war, captured at Copenhagen, to :be kept in such a
state as .not to preclude or put to hazard .the possibi-
lity of their being restored upon the re-establishment
of peace. This motion he would submit to the House
on Thursday next, for which day 'he moved that the
L rds be summoned... Ordered.

wcre ordereA

A Malt/CAN TREATY.
Lord GRENVILLE observed, that he rose to
move for a Copy of a certain Paper, bearing an inti-
mate relation to the important subject which was to
he discussed on Monday: It was for a Copy of the
Treaty signed ,by the American Pleaipotentiaries and
two Nobfe Lords appointed' by his Majesty to treat
with these Ministers. He under mod there would
be no objection to producing this:ifacgenent, and he
was most anxious that it should be belief, their Lord-
ships. It had bear asserted, not only in thai Rouse,
but in other places; that too Much hadbeen conceded
to AmeriCa. It ,vroitld be seen, in the .Articles of
tat Treaty, whether, as it has beenindustrloOsly and
falsely asserted, his Majesty's late Ministers had
abandmied any of those-nghts upon which the mari-
time superiority of this country was founded. Next
to the union and conciliation of all ranks aticl.des'erip-
tions of men at home, in his opinion, there was nothing
more essential to the true interests of the British em-
pire %an an intimate connection with America. This
it bad always been his earnest wish to cultivate and
maintain. It was upon this principle that he nego-
ciated the treaty of 1794 with the Minister who was
t to charged with the interests of America nt this
Court ; and here he would tate anepportunity, Winch
he had often wished for, of paying the tribute that]
was due to the unequalled talents of M. Jay. In dm'
course of his political experience, he never met a man
of more candour, openness, and integrity. He was
a person on whose probity full reliance was to be
placed. In she aegociation Which he had the good
fortune to bring to a happy conclusion with that Mi-
nister, the principle upon which they proceedel was
to make it satisfactory to both parties. This was the
only principle upon which any treaty could be advan-
tageously concluded. The conduct of Mr. Jay, how.
ever, was not generally approved in America. It.
seas imputed to him, that he had sacrificed the in-I
terms of his country to England. Never was there
a_charge more unjustly preferred. The aim of that,
excellent Minister, to whose merits, though he was,
now retired from public life, he felt it was incumbent
on him to do that justice they deserved, was to con-
nect and render the two countries mutually service-
able to each other. This was the principle upon which -
all the Administrations with which he was connected
had acted. When, at the breaking out of the war
with France, some injury, under the sanction of
orders then issued, had been offered to the American
commerce, the Government, as soon as they siee
convinced of their- error, did not hesitate to correct it.
The obnoxious order was revoked, atonement was
made, and full indemnity given to the persons ag-
grieved. It was in this spirit of conciliation, that the
treaty lately concluded with America, and which was
stated in his Majesty's speech, though not upon suf-
ficient grounds, in his opinion, to have been. rejected,
was negotiated. And here he could not omit the
opportunity ofeepressing the high sense which he en-
tertained of the candour and fairness of the Plenipo-
tentiaries of the United States, and of their readiness
to conclude the commercial part of the treaty upon
terms equally advantageous to both countries. The
chief difficulty in thatnegociation related to the right
claimed by this country of searching American
vessels for British seamen. It never was, and never
could be, intended to apply this right to Ameri
can ships' of war but it was a right which never
could be abandoned in the case of merchant vessels,
without at the same time abandoning our mari-
time superiority, and our existence as a nation which
depended on it. He trusted—he did not believe in.
deed,, that the Americans would he so infatuated as to
plunge into a war with this country, to compel her to
the renunciation of a right upon which her maritime
superiority, or in other words, her existence, depended •
but if they were, he would pet hesitate to declare, thai,
war, in such a casse, however great its inconvenience,'
however pregnant with cal Amity to both countries,
was not to be dklined by this nation. It was a prin.
ciple laid down in public law, as well as in the munici-
pal code of all countries, that no subject could divest;
himself of his allegiance at pleasure : the Sovereign,
Power of the State to which he belonged bad a right;
• to command his services whenever it happened to be
at war. It was in the exorcise of this right that we
were in the practice of searching for and seizing ow
seamen on the high seas, which, strictly speekipig,
were the property of no nation. This' right was
claimed by all countries ; but the assertion of it was
most essential to a maritime Power like us. Our e,x-
isteoce as a nation depended upon it. The principlel
therefore, he would never relinquish, though he was I
not d'isincl'ined to consent to such a modification of it ]
as would 'lighten the hardships which it imposed upon
the Americans ; for it wns not to be de lied, that it
was productive of very peat hardship and inconveei-
ence to them. To establish the terms of that modifi-
cation, was a principal object in the negotiation of the
treaty with America. Unhappily, the respective Pie-,
nipotentiaries would come to no agreement on the
point ; and it was therefore, with other principal sub-
jects, kit open for future discussion. He thought it
necessary to enter into this explanation, previous to
his submitting his motion to their Lordships, and
preparatory to the important discussion which was
fixed for Monday next.
Lord HAWKKSBURY did not feel it necessary
to folliaer dm Roble Lord in the wide view which he I
had token of our relation: with America. The whole
of that important subject would, in a short time, come
under their Lordships' consideration, and he would
therefore decline entering into a premature discussion
of it at present. When the subject was regularly be-
fore the House, he would be prepared to jestify the