The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-05 00:00:00

the French Chambers, and now open to the public, cor-
trheseplcansttl esde
sssviiet than epadpersh leasied
hbeetf o
are that
OHw oeufs emi duringse o n
l
fdteit
exhibited ttoh
ejyr
rt
ei fayd lwfirt.h Part ittechhtai
ernd ' st
hree
toavt
ea!
only to this, that he was a person who was suspected
ment offered to the French Government, it amounted
rcyht w
iales
i
of being liable to suspcion. —(Laughter.) No
s island.
charge could be shown then, in justification of
such cruel, insolent, and outrageous treatment, carried to
such a pitch that even the French Government admitted
it was indiscreet and oppressive. Another thing which
added to the ground of complaint was, that Mr. Pritchard
was invested with the consulate character at the time of
the outrage, and that he was in company with an officer
commanding the only British ship lying in the harbour,
and he therefore might be considered under his escort
and protection. He said, therefore, that this was undoubt-
edly a great injury and out rage, and he said also that it was
the fault of the two Governments. Why was that ? Whe-
ther considered as ordering or, accepting, any man of
common foresight might have known that such a system
would lead to collision with the French Go-
vernment, for what had been the condition of Ota-
heite before this time ? For thirty or forty
years the island had been governed by a theocracy,
and British missionaries had been the medium of in-
struction to the people. But the French established at
once violently and suddenly a military form of Govern-
ment, and the spiritual wants of the natives were at-
tended to by Catholic instead of Protestant ministers.
Was it possible that this state of things could continue
without a struggle on the part of the mission in posses-
sion—a struggle which would involve the two Govern-
ments in a discussion of the most disagreeable character?
The Government of England had expressed great anxiety
to maintain a good understanding with France,
and the result was before them. He could not help
saying that the two countries showed a want of
foresight which did little credit to the sagacity of either.
The British ought to have foreseen the events w: ich
afterwards occurred in Otaheite, and they might perhaps
remember the advice they gave the late Ministry when
referring to their relations with China, they said that
there ought to be a stout frigate on the station. He
should say to them that instead of one they ought to have
had two stout frigates in Otaheite, for if they had had
such a power there, things would have been managed
somewhat more decorously, and without the risk
of bringing the two Governments into discus-
sion. Now the question was, did the Government
obtain the satisfaction which clearly this country
was entitled to? He was not one of those who thought
that where a friendly feeling existed between two coun-
tries, it was either wise or politic to demand a high sa-
tisfaction for any injury done. But he considered that
the arrangement made was not by any means satisfac-
tory; and from the communications laid before the
French Chambers, it appeared that though no formal
demand of reparation had been made for what the Right
Hon. Baronet stated to be a gross outrage, yet in the
dispatches sent by M. d'Jarnac to the Minister, an in-
timation was given that the British Government
expected the recal of one of their officers, and it also
appeared that the Secretary of State (Lord Aberdeen)
showed him (D'Jarnac) the draft of a dispatch to the
British Minister in Paris, Lord Cowley, demanding that
Mr. Pritchard should be sent back to Otaheite in a ship
of war. These dispatches might certainly be considered
official announcements. The French Government was
indomitable, and refused to order the return of either of
their officers. They, indeed, expressed to the British
Government their regret at the circumstances, and their
disapproval of the conduct of Captain D'Aubigny, but
then if they looked to the dispatch of the Minister of
Marine to him, they would find that it expressed their
Minister's approbation of his conduct and his apprecia-
tion of that officer's general services. But Mr.
Pritchard was a considerable sufferer in pecuniary
matters. He lost something like 2,0001, independently
of his personal sufferings. Tee estimation in which he
was held by the inhabitants of the island might be in-
ferred from the fact —and it was a flattering testimonial
to his character and conduct—that l)'Aubigny an-
nounced, in a general order, that he thought the best
mode of holding the natives in check was to make Mr.
Pritchard's property answerable for the property of the
French Government, and that his life should answer for
every drop of blood shed in the quarrel. He (Lord
Palmerston) was not disposed to say that if her Ma-
jesty's Government were to blame for accepting a small
satisfaction for those injuries, they were not equally to
blame for having brought the two Governments to the
verge of a rupture, through a train of circumstances
which common foresight aught to have prevented. Not-
withstanding the opinion of the Right lion. Baronet,
that he would much prefer that the question of the right
of search should not be adverted to, he must briefly
advert to it. The postponement sought for by the Right
Hon. Baronet was no longer than he (Lord Palmerston)
was inclined to grant him. lie was assured the Right
Hon. Baronet asked for the postponement to avoid laying
before the House certain documents relative to that
question.

Sir R. PEEL—You can have them to-morrow.
Lord PALMERSTON said that no man of common
sense but must be aware that they could do nothing to
put down the slave trade without the right of search.
The Right Hon. Baronet sought by the Commission to
inquire into the right of search, evidently to substitute
something else in the lieu of that power, and it had been
even proposed that a French officer should sail in a Bri-
tish frigate, and a British officer in a French one; but
these crotchets ho was assured would never meet the
desired end. This indecision of the Right Ho-
nourable Baronet was altogether owing to the
clamour raised by slave-traders and slave-owners.
Therefore he would say, he would not wait for those
papers, because he knew enough of the facts connected
with the subject without them. If, indeed, when those
papers should be produced, they should show that the
present Government had, in their negotiation with
that of France upon this subject, been fair and
candid and explicit with France, and that they had
avowed their determination not to give up the right of
search, while they had no objection to the institution of
a commission, then, but not till then, would he say that
the charge he had made against her Majesty's Govern-
ment on this subject was not well founded, and be would
retract it.—(Elear, hear.) It might be that something in
the shape of an equivalent to the island of Cuba for in-
terfering with its slave trade, or with the little trade
done in that way in some of the French islands,
would appear by those papers. But this was
a part of the qnestion with which he con-
ceived the English Government had nothing what-
ever to do. The right of search was a measure of
necessity, for the effectual carrying out of which this
House ar.d the country had frequently recorded their
opinions. They bad on the journals of the House re-
peated resolutions, giving full powers to the Government
to adopt measures for the effectual suppression of the
slave trade ; in fact, there was no subject upon which
the nation and the Parliament had expressed so unani-
mously and so strongly their opinion, that it was the
duty of the Government to use all its power to put down
the slave trade.—(Hear, hear.) Personally he could
have no objection to the course the Government had
taken on this question ; for if there was any reason why,
Government,
a t
the
more than another, he should feel proud, it was that the
Government to which he had the honour to belong had,
ain t
whichlB4
l ,
the advocated
Right a
head, had not carried out and perfected in 1841.
(Hear, hear.) He (Lord Palmerston) should say
that he should look for no prouder distinction to mark
Imloenaosuurraeb "lo 'hi
Baronet thenet
was
the course pursued by the two Governments than that
he had mentioned.— (Hear.) His Lordship concluded
_
by saying he would not trouble the House with any
further observations.

Sir ROBERT INGLis supported the course pur-
sued by the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Go-
vernment. Ile said he would not follow the Noble Lord
(Lord Palmerston), though all the arguments he had
used in support of the coarse he had adopted in reference
to the right of search. The Noble Lord had said that the
Right lion Baronet had done wisely in accepting the reps
ration offered by France in reference to the treatment Mr.
Prit:hard had received. lie could assure the Noble
Lord that the House of Commons of England and the
Chamber of Deputies in France had given this subject
the most mature consideration.—(Hear, hear.) But
upon the right of search question the Noble Lord had
said so much that it appeared to him (Sir R. Inglis)
that his Lordship appeared to him not to hare exercised
that sound discretion for which he was usually remark-
able. His Lordship could of course take credit to him-
self for his laudable efforts in the years 1831 and 1833,
and upon many subsequent occasions, for the suppression
of the slave trade ; but he (Sir R. Inglis) would say
that it was rather inconsistent with his (Lord Palmer-
ston's) public character, to seek to prejudice the efforts
of the negotiations now pending on the right of search
question, by calling
it a " mock investigation." Ad-
verting thus briefly to the two principal points in the
Noble Lord's speech, to which he (Sir R. Inglis) wished
particularly to call the attention of the House, he would
now refer to the statements made by the Right
Honourable Gentleman on his Lordship's left (Mr.
Sheil) as they were subjects of interest nearer
home. That Right Hon. Gentleman had said that the
measures of the present Government were of a character
that would not give satisfaction to the people of Ireland.
He (Sir R. Inglis) believed that those measures were in-
tended by the Right Hon. Baronet as measures not only
of conciliation, but were about to be proposed from the
Right Hon. Baronet's sense of justice. But this he would
say, that no matter what measures: of justice or con-
ciliation he might bring forward for Ireland, he must not
expect to pacify the people of that country; at least such
was the conclusion he (Sir R. Inglis) was led to arrive
at by the speech of the Right lion. Gentleman (Mr.
Sheil), whose speech just amounted to this, that it
was no use for her Majesty's Government to
grant measures of conciliation, or to extend
the grant to
—Maynooth, or establish new
colleges in the country, for in fact the Irish
people would be satisfied with nothing short of having
the honours of the University of Dublin open to them.
If such were to be the sentiments of the Irish people, he
(Sir R. Inglis) would say to the Hon. Baronet at the
head of the Government, pause before
ho granted any
measures of conciliation to Ireland, for the result would
he and he warned those out of the House as well as in it,
that the result would be the total overthrow of the Pro-
testant Church in Ireland.
Lord SANDON made a few observations, in which he
expressed his disapprobation of what he called the
sweeping charges of the Noble Lord (Lord Palmerston),
against the present Government upon the Right of Search
question. The right of search was a great obstruction
to commerce, and the difficulties attending it were far
greater than they were some years ago. Inasmuch as
the search was not now confined to a search for slaves,
but was extended to papers, and various other things.
The right of search must, therefore, in its exercise, be
a great source of irritation. With respect to the other
topics in the speech from the Throne, he thought be
must say that much of the prosperity which was alluded
to in her Majesty's speech, was to be attributed to the
measure of the Government with respect to the circula-
tion of- the country. He hailed too with gratificatiot