Star.
London, England, 1806-06-09 00:00:00

mentions more than once heart his Noble Friend
admit, and indeed aroue upon, our increafed danger
and Meanie:. Mete expreffions might be perlidaly
innocent, as applied to the Government ; not 'fn,
however, with regard to the country. He was fatisfied
that they were uttered with no mil-chief/taus intention :
but, coming as they did from relpcftable quarters.
were they not calculated to produce the injtifious effect
of parylifing the public fphit; of &flailing our coun-
trymen to believe that their effbrts and eiertions were
no longer neceffary, and that the privations which
they were obliged to endure, and the facrifices they
were called upon to fubmtt to, arofe merely from the
wanton rigour of a tyrannical Government? Nothing
but his confidence in the difcernment and good fenfe
of the people relieved him from the apprehenfion of
fuch dangerous and fatal confcquences. But, he
would afk the Noble Lord, whether the fragrance or
the foftnefs of his Bed of Roles had been much im-
proved by events which had taken place fince that
expreffion efraped him ? Was it by Prutha being
added to the formidable catalogue of our enemies ?
Was it by the ports of the Baltic being [hut againft
our commerce ; or by the more rment event of Hol-
land having become, as it were, a part and branch
of the new Freud' Dynafty ? Thefe may be con&
dered as the unhappy confequences of the failure
of the late confederacy, on the tallies of which he did,
not think it neceffary to give any opinion. Under all
there deplorable circumftances, however, we are told,
k Sit with your arms before you—go on in the old
routine—be content with a perfeverance in meatures
which experience proves, and all admit, have, under
lets preffing circumftances, proved inadequate, and
with your eyes open to furrounding dangers, follow
the example of the improvident thepherd—
" Medicos adhiberc mamas ad valuta Mat
" Maeda, ct atellora Dec. kact mina pafcessur
If his Majefty's Minifters dared to adopt the advice
thus given them, they would incur indeed a tremen-
dous refponfibility ; they would not only entail on
themfelves eternal difgrace, but, what is of more
confequence, and probably at no diftant period, ruin
and deftruetion on the countr7 whore affairs were,
committed to their charge.
Mr. ADDINGTON Paid, that there were other topics
which he'conld have. wilted to urge on the confide-
ration of the Houfe, but that he had not ftrength to
go further. What he had already troubled the Houfe
with had col him a painfitl effort. He had fame
time fince heard from a Learned Friend of his oppn-
rite to him (Mr. Percival) that this meafure had
created alarms from one end of the kingdom to the
other; that the whole militar eftablifhment was Ms.
hinged ; and that neither officers nor men fearedy
knew whether we had longer any army at all. ft had
been laid too by tome Gentlemen, that every military
officer, whom they had confulted nut of dome, had
concurred in condemning and reprobating the pro;
poled alteration. Of thole alarms he had heard no-
thing, and did not believe that they citified except in
his learned Friend's imagination; and he had a con-
frientious conviftion that this great meafure, fhould
it be the pleafure of the Legiflature to adopt it, would
prove not only completely efficient, but univerfally
popular. He had converted too with many intelli-
gent military men out of doors on the Cubic°, and
cluld fay with truth, that he had not met with one,
no not one, who had not confidered it as affording
the only chance of improving our military eflablilh•
meat. To his undetftanding, it teemed calculated
to anfwer every wife purple that prefent or future
emergencies might call for. He fhould give it his
decided fupport, -beeaufe, intlead of invading the
Royal prerogative, he thought it eminently calculated
to fix the Crown more firmly on the revered Head
that wears it ; becaufe he was fat:afied that it would
render this country for ever invulnerable and invin-
cible ; and that, whether with a view to the fuccefsful
and glorious profecntion of the war, to the attain.
went of peace, or to the prefervation of peace when
obtained, it was not only expedient, but indifpenfibly
neceffary. ' Under theft inspreffions, which he bad
by no means overftated, be could have no alternative
how to aft; and whatever night be the opiniorks, or
fuppoted opinions out of doors, on the fubjeft, in
quarters however refpeftable, and however he !right
be generally difpofed to pay deference to, he had
almoft laid to revere fuels opinions, he would not
incur the falling Pelf-reproach of fhrinking from an
explicit avowal of his decided fentiments on a qttef-
(ion, which involved, both at prefent and in future,
the vital interests, perhaps the very lafety, of the
country.