Star.
London, England, 1808-02-04 00:00:00

.

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dates to the situation al hitagesst. There hadbeeti two candidates
for that office, one of Oboes had been 'diseased-In the Navy, and
the other in the armydoidohe•bed alas -had seamen frequently
under care. ahe former missed to give up Ida private practice,
and the latter had consented, is sonessisense of which he was
•
appointed.
Sir CHARLES POLE said, that be would never compromise
his fedinp with respect to the Navy, or any non or set of MO
11011111111 K and that be would divide the House even should he
E akfae.
The •OIMNCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained the
progress Society, and suggested to the Hon. Baronet the pro.
prier/ Of oldrposing his motion, until the instructions which were
in preparation were laid before the House.
Mr., WINDHAM and Mr. ROBE mplsioed.
• Lord TEMPLE recommeedelliiilidraos. Friends to goosed-
der the question. He .tyseed-withetNimgat Hen. Menbac•
rife in-
oft
the opposite Bench, that it. 111011iibil0toper to wait
structions were laid bedew the Souse. He proposed that the
motion should be withdrawn for the present, upon an undarseati-
ang, that the facts stead by the Hon. Baronet should be enqui-
red into. • —v.' • •
Sir CHARLES Paisilhoeeded, and the motion was withdrawn.
Sir CUBILLES'POLE then moved fora copy of she waist
=teattli3Osomesseeioners of tee
zedArnaNaval namely*
• hind of tbe saisrim
He next moved for 'a list of Mexandidates for the mast aiiisla
in the institution: diehion toaplace.—Ayell 7S—Noes 190:
. • -
COPENHAGEN.

Mr. PONSONBY said, he rose for the purpose of
making the motion of which he had given notice to
the House. His object was, to ascertain how far Mi-
nisters were justifiabd in advising his Majesty to ern-
' ploy his naval and military, forces in the attack upon
Copenhagen. His reasons were founded on his Map
jesty's declaration, in which it was stated, that he
owed it to Europe to give a ftill exposition of his mo-
tiyes for recurring to that measure. The subject was
particularly' deserving the attention of Parliament,
for it was one -in which the honour and character of
the country were deeply implicated. It was almost
unnecessary for him to observe to the House, that in
what the should say of his Majesty's speech, or • his
Majesty's declaration, it was not his intention to ap-
ply it to the private sentiments of the Sovereign, but
to his confidential Ministers ; to those who directed
his Councils, and were responsible to Parliament and
the country for the advice they gave him. Not he
could never bring himself to consider the sentiments
in that declaration as proceeding from his Majesty ;
for the acts to which they referred,. viewing them in
the light he did, were as derogatory to the honour of
the Crown as they were, in his opinion, contrary to
sound policy and the true interests of the country.—
In discussing the subject, he proposed to consider the
conduct of Denmark prior to the attack upon Copen-
hagen ; to consider the conduct of Russia antecedent
to her knowledge of that event, and, lastly, to consi-
der the means of France to compel Denmark to place
Iher navy at her disposal. It would be idle to, speak
of the disposition of France ; for there was not a per-
son in the country who must not be convinced, that
it was the anxious wish, the incessant endeavour, of
the ruler of France to cembiae and employ all possi-
ble means for the destruction of the British empire.—
In drawing up the resolutions on which he intended
to ground his motion for an address to the Throne,
he had. occasion to go pretty far back. In the decla-
ration, dated the 25th of September, 1807, there was
a passage,'stating that the Court of Denrnaik had
stated as an excuse for her joining in the maritime
confederacy in 1801, that it had been compelled to
by a power whose authority it was unable to resist.—
Now he wished to know where any information
that effect was to be found • and he had shaped his
resolution for the purpose of obtaining copies of such
communications from the Court of Denmark, as con-
tained•any admission of that nature. These
thoughte it his duty to move for, because the fact was
statin the declaration, and stated as one of
chief reasons for seizing the Danish navy. He had
made some inquiry on the subject from persons who
were likely to be well informed, and the result of
inquiry was, that Denmark made no such apology,
it was called. He was desirous to know the truth
the fact. What objection, at this day, could there
to laying such papers before the House ? The trans-
action took place six or seven years ago. It was
matter of history, and the . disclosure of the circum-
stances relating to it were not liable to any of the
jections consequent upon a recent event. He was
sured the statement contained in the declaration •
not founded in fact ; and therefore he wished to'
all the information relating to it, if there were
before the House. He had shaped another cf his
solutions for the
.purpose of ascertaining what
the conduct of Denmark. He would move, that
the reports of the King's Minister at Copenhagen .
the course of lait, year, relating to the naval prepara-
tions o(Denmark, and the means she possessed of
manning gni fitting outlier fleet, should be laid be-
fore the 'House ; for it was to be presumed, if Den-
mark' had fallen in with the views of France and
Russia, that she would, secretly at least, have resor-
ted to these.means and preperatlons. -It was, he un-
derstood, the practice in_ Dentiark, that sailors should
inscribe their names, in a register prepared for that
purpose, so that the number of tailors was always
easily ascertained. Whenever they engaged in the
mercantile marine, _they were obliged to give notice
in what ships they entered. The length of the voy-
ages Which they undertook, and the comparatively
small numbers of their merchant ships, rendered it
impossible for Denmark to fit out a considerable .fleet
in a short time. It was not there as if was in Eng-
land, where, from the immense number of our mer-
chant navy, a press would sweep away, in three or
four weeks, seamen sufficient to man a considerable
fleet. If Denmark meant any thing hostile from her-
self, she, molt have given some indications of it
previous to the entrance of the British fleet into the
Baltic. These of course would be communicated by
his Majesty's Minister at that Court ; and as these
communications would go a great way towards ex-
culpating Ministers, he did not see what possible ob-
jection there could be to laying them before the
House. He understood, however, that they meant
to refuse that information ; but he trusted the House

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