Star.
London, England, 1801-03-27 00:00:00

Okford tr./Ilea the p •ty.:ilel rf liherty, upon f
which the prelent w:n:c t.o tic
Crm% n Cngland, an l n,:on wliielt the Conititu-
tit,n WJClct•lndi:ty to Ath
:'not lie itt•l t own ti's; they had juit
.ts g• • u ti;4l/t :n caned Atheillic.d as frame
CI: II: pre:11" day had to he called Jaco-
I.ii;ieal. ti_rnis had b eo iii,!tl too long
—They h... 1 101 l th.•:l eiii ac Thity,/, might be
worn /set. If a cry wa' I::CCiilltitly to be let up of
.o, pine, Jaeottire, it ini:2;ht turn upon them-
; for pt i hap. it might b^ equally applicable
ISt their Own con.hin relly:aiii7 tl Catholic quell
tion ; certainly was not one of the per-
lons who • •-tld imp,:t : it to them. But to return.
That free li-tt/. •.. Aid not malze free goods was a
donrine lec,,rrtiied by the law: of nations. He
• had no difficult in laying fo. I his Honourable
Fri-nd ( (;i vy) had faid that it was a dontine
which it sets nut fleet:it:a y at this time to confider;
and on th:s he perfectly ahrreed with him. We I
were not ctlled upon, at this moll critical con-1
jail/4.lre of our a tfait .•, to bring it into difcuffion.l
But the Right Honourable Gentleman lays, that ,
ir. •lte y.:ttr 760, when the*Neut: al Confederacy was '
forme J, it W.IS not admitted, and that Lord Stor-
mont arterwards protelled againft it. What did
this fity ? The doctrine was not admitted. Who
called upon them to admit it now? The Miniflers
of that day were too wife to bring the queßion un-
neceffarily into difeuffion. The Right Honoura-
ble Gentleman laid they were too weak to contea
it. Be it as it might, the Right Hon. Gentleman
who then came into Parliament concurred with
him in thinkingthat the conduft orthe Adminiltra- •
tion at that time, in poltponinq th elifcuflion, was
difcreet and wife. Attila• time, a.well as at this, the
hired depen.ients and panegyri ti s of Nlini am, who
alcribe to their opponents every ipceies of tinißer
motive, were ready enough to impute to the con-
dua of the Oppolition every thing that was infidi-
ous; and accordingly their approbetlii.a of the
conduct of Minilters, in avoiding a difculTion that
would have been inconvenient, was termed aft
candour. The Right Hon. Gentleman, however,
agteed with them in this fit of candour. But in
-178.1, in that thou Adminiltration of which, laid
Mr. Fox, I made apart, and which did fuch ex-
traordinary things, though it latled only three
months, and was an Adminiftration to which cer-
tainly leis blame was imputed than to any'Aehni-
niftration of the preknt reign, I offered the Em-
prefs of Ruffin. to concede this queflion, on condi-
tion of her entering into an aaive alliance with
Great Britain to bring France to a fair and mo-
derate peace. He imputes this to me, as if it had
beer. my fingle aa, and calls it one of thole tafh
and daring ads by which that fhort Minillry was
diftinguilhed. It it was nib and daring, it was at
leaft well and maturely confidered by Tome men
of the greatcit talents in this country ; for though
it fell to my duty, as Secretary of State for the
Foreign Department, to take the King's pleafure
on the matter, yet it had previoufly been approved
of and determined by the Cabinet, which conflfted
of eleven perfons, of whom Lord Rockingham,
Lord Thurlow, the Duke of Richmond, Lord
Camden, and Lord Affiburton, made a part. They
all concurred in thinking it a political meafure to
engage by this offer the aBive co-operation of the
Empre(s. But the Right Honourable Gentleman
finds in my letter that I called it a great concef-
fion. I do not think it a very unulual condua,
when a perfon is making a conceffion, or offering
terms for a bargain with another, that he lhould
extol the value of the thing which he offers to con-
cede. My letter Rated it as a boon of confiders-
, ble value to the Ensprefs to receive ; and yet the
Adminifiration thought it a conceflion which they
might fafely offer as a quid pro quo. Is it fair in
the Honourable Gentleman to argue from the
terms of a letter to M. Simolin, in the very be-
ginning of a negotiation, that we felt the offer to
he of fuch high conlideration ? When the Honour-
able Gentleman, for inilance, propofed to agree
to the transfer of Belgium to the French as the
price of peace, would he have felt any great
icrupk in magnifying the boon? But he lays it
WAS a moll fortunate thing for England that it was
not accepted by Ritffia, as in this war it would
have prevented us from extinguishing the marine
and commerce of France. I fay it would have
t had no fuch eitea ; for in the prefent war, by the
0.3.1 a rat aa of Rttilla h:rfclf at its commencement,
lilac wont! have given no facilities to France. He
that we have deßroyed the marine and com-
merce of Ft ante, by refilling the neutral code.
Do/:s he not think that the internal Government
of France, in the early and convulfed periods of
the Resolution, diet initialling towards the over-
-1 throw of its commerce ? If granting this boon
I to Ittat would have been Co material, how mnch
none In mutt it have been in the hands of Hol-
I land ? Ruilia was never a carrying nation. Hot-
s'3s the carrier of urope, and Holland, dur-
the levee years war, had the power by a
Ipecial treaty to carry goods without vifitation.
1);,i thet prevent the Bntifh nation in that brilli.'
aat era to hat& all the maritime power of France ?
1 To I/ y th:.t i: would have been dangerous to grant
;1 to Raffia when it was proved nugatory in the
h.ards of the. Dutch, is moll idle. What , is this
Litt c::tchiag at the
,prejudices of the nation, to
• • a which a man of common under- •
. to he araamed ? But he lays that
I ' ii to krautthe fame boon to France at
e. •,:nr ri:•• I: eat v. I did fo,becaufe I thought
. it ;•,;;:•, it. thing to grant to France what
yin. 1. :/: (.:11:r powers. Ile lays it was fyant-
tl! tt. I in t 634. b:catife the was likely in
/ • a: -A:ars to be an Ally. This is not exaal y
i:.•• ;:;;;:l)•bt be neutral as friendly, and
I ; iiic was fo immediately after it was
• .!. he lays it was a moll important
: . T..,u s.l.y not enquire into it ? It
Da :iy I have been better to pals it by than
t- :,,g it nosy to a difcuftion, for what will you
get by it? Suppoie Denmark !hall make an
the gt cared thing you can exped.-
I'fie very nest war, if an opportunity ffiall oc.
cur, they will again demand the fame thing. It
is a *raver %chid* always did, and always will,
depend upon power for a time; why then bring
it to the alternativc of admit er raga? Why not

do :Is in ti7P;): Wily nut fu1,....d1 a7si (}tire claim,
aad fit c orders -to ;t7ur cruiv ..rs to hold a cm:i•
deraic line of d:portnient•trl>ich fhoulti not
you to Ce>111!: to a declarati,m ? Neither in

ner in i 782, were embargoes laid on Swcdifh a!, i
Danifh -.-te;fels ; but, on thc contrary, in 17R2 af-
ter the neutral confederacy was entered into,
Prufiia and Ruliia were applied to, and m oda the
mediators for peace. What then is the true mean-
ing of this intemperate condua at prefent, but that
you think the prefenta favourable moment for a
molt impolitic queftion ? You have no charac-
ter for pacific difpoiition, and this will confirm
tht opinion that you mean nothing but a new de-
vice for the continuance of war. All your oher
pretexts are worn out, or taken from:ender your
feet. Jacobinifm is become flak, and a new cattle
for the war muft he difcovered, and I believe this
will be imputed to you with fume truth. As to the
doaine of convoys, if one hate is to convoy tii..•
trade of another, it is a new do&rine, and I think
a very fit fubjeet for reptelentation. lam lure it
might have been fettled by reprefentation. As to
the fearch, what is it ? If you arc not content viitli
the papers ; if you have a thong ground of fufpi.
cion you will fa:arch—yes, you will do the fame
with the convoy. If you have a amok; ground of
lidpicion you will (catch notwitliftandtng the con-,
vnv, and you will be itrltilied in doing Co. Nnu 1
' will not permit this principle to he exerted limber
ngainft you, and yet you demand it againtl. others.
Suppole Spain, which is always at war said' the
Also-isle t.'tates. Mould claira the fearch of every
il Bt kith veikl panes; thriiii,h the Gut, m,:relv un-
der the pretext at h a Licii,;;• at war with A ii. it's,
would you, or ought yon, to submit to b. ? Kith
rape& to the contraband of war, the Right lit at.
' Gentleman zealous molt cutioafly when he
talks of (hips and timber, anal naval ttores not lung '
forefeen as implements of war in 16;4. Great
maritime powers were then in exiftetace, and it is
idle to compare them with the article of :.liiitroar.
der, and guns and cannon. Much as he relpeet-
ed modern inventions, he could not include naval
fly res in the number of modern inventions. They
exiled at the time of 1694, and if it had been
thought right to call them contraband of war, they
would have been enumerated. The whole of the
reafoning, was unworthy of the talents of the ltilit
Tlonoorable Gentleman. He owns that lie is dif-
appointed at not being in at the death of his war.
It is coming, he fat .•, a clofe—yes—it might be
coming to a clofe. The utter dircomfittere of all
his fames, and the failure of all his pretexts,
might at length have brought the catamitotr; con:.
ten to a dole, when this new conteft was thought
of, to perpetuate thc ttruggle.' Not one word has
he Lid of the King of Pruflia. He has t-lked of
four rowers concerned in the Coe'-• I -44 ; but
the rower of all others the oto : c ::,. Lie of hint-
ing us he carefully avoids rre.:::.aling. ‘Vliar is
the whole of this condu&, tot to add ::- • ..
as well as infuperable n! :1 Ades to pacificat..a r
Mr. Fox then in a rno:4l;:rcible appealto the Hetife,
called to their reca.itt :aion the various contradiao-
Ilry pretexts with -a :Itch they had been anturA from
year to year, vi.d the arrogant propoE•icn which
was made u• 3onaparte's dignified and camellia-
ing propar.tion of peace in January i Soo, when
they m,.,,/!J propoltd that he thoulcl deliver him.
, fell on to the Bourbons, or, in other words, hang
himf.-i:', as the only means of procuring peace with ,
Foo.eel They were then elated with a thew of
fuccefs, and they had not minds fufficiently et ilarg- ,
ed to aft with magnanimity and politenefs. Now,
however, they were humbled, they were going to
treat with thcfe very Jacobins whom thcy had fo ig-
notninioully derided. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Dundas) had Paid, in his own peculiar diale.t, half
Scots, half Englifh, for he (hewed that it was not in
the power of Parliament to form an union of the
two languages, that ~ filch opinions had been
broached bya miferable remnant of this Houfe, but
thank GOD they had always been exploded by the
majority." To this polifhed•phrale he (Imolai
only fay, that it was no new thing for the opi-
nions of that fide of the Houle to be exploded.—
The Noble Father of the Right Honourable
Gentleman had found his opinions exploded—
and he himfelf would loon find that unlefs he fat
on the bench, where he continued fo long, his own
opinions would be exploded —But though explod-
ed by the Houfc they were uniformly adopted.—
They had been Ilrenuous advocates for peace, and
if Minilters had aCted in feafon on the opinions
which were hilt exploded and afterwards adopted,
they would not now have to humble tliemfclves in
the dull, in the hope of not meeting the lame con
. temptuous infolence which they had (hewn. He
firmly believed that Bonaparte was too wife, too
dignified, and too magnanimous to imitate their
grofs indecorum. Mr. Fox then adverted to Mr.
1 Dundas's affertion of the fuceeffes of the war, and
; he examined the pretenfioas to the charafter of foe-
! cefs with his ufital addrefs. To the navy he paid
I the warmeft tribute of applattfe ; of the late lira
Lord he (poke in handfome terms; and gave this
marked reafon for the conflant and brilliant rue-
, ceifes of the navy, while our military expeditions,
: though our troops had equal bravery with our lea-
men, have generally failed..--that in naval tactics
! alma every thing depended on the talents of our
I Officers in executing, whereas in military move-
' molt:, a great deal depended on the original de-
fign. Nothing, therefore, could be a greater proof
of the imbecility of our Minifters, than that in the
fervicc which depended upon them, every China„
had failed. In that which depended on thc men,l
every thing had fucceeded. In all former wars
; there had 'been inquiries wherever there was dial-
tar. He had talked of the Wands captured : the
c ..ture of iflands was not the objea of the war.
I Our objea was to prince! Europe again(' France :
Have we done to ? And in the mirk of the war
wlikh of the two nations is the moil argrandired
—England or France ? They fay that tlif.re is only
i60,000,0cc1. added to our debt ; fo the Honour.
able Gentleman cuts off 56,c00,ci;01. mote, for
I wli;ch thc Income Tax is mortgaged—fo that a
debt to be paid by inftallments was to be wonder-
ed no debt' at all.—lt now coils us 313,000,0001. a
year in taxes, betides 1 0,000,0001. for Poor-rates ;
and the whole Lund rent of the country was only
as millions. A country paying double its land