Star.
London, England, 1814-05-13 00:00:00

Ism list& to us. • *They bad, ban iti sebibr It-etas
theisAlpty. • .Under the moss ..vying .•:cireurbstancee
the.y, had stood firm as their mountain; -which he
toped would prove to them an uncolquereble bar-
rier... He expressed great sorrow at finding. the NeVy
was to be put upon so aßbminable andittefarions a
duty as that of blockading.the.peopleof 24oiefey. -Of
the Nwy he !could not speak without enthusiasm--
Those who composed it adding • the ,per&mtiton,of sei- ,
eticY-te v:ilbur end generosite, had itiisea,, m theselees
within•the tett twenty years as a body itfritelhaii any
other crasi of persons he could name.• Pfitlylifid'aP-
pearedaishe without rivals, till the immortal Welling-1
ton made it.dpubtful whether our Army or Navy. was
most to be idatired. 'He mourn' that such men
' were to be lent to persecute. under the nroplianed
name of mercy, a•people who would not believe them
capable of acting such a part. He put it to the floilse
what must be theteelings of the Norwegian !sunbelt;
while gazing ontheir,dying iefattts—their infants fa-;
, Mished by the mercy of England; they, pointed• to
the British flag, which they had tairght"their Children
to admire, and saw in that which had given indepen,
dente and relief to others, the sainsiil their subjuga-
tion and misery. . . a ....
Mr. CANNING was.glad to follow his,,Hen. and
Learned Friend. who spoke last, because the view
.which he had professed to take of the subject tallied
so much with that which he himself was disposed to,
take. The enthusiasm,-however, which had.actuated
his Hon. and Learned Friend, did not enter into his
view of the subject. If the question was whether,
with a view to any contingent advantage, hover;
girt; or to any other advantage which we we're ies
to derive from a treaty with Sweden, that the House
should give its concurrence to such a measure as tint{
which-had been adopted by. Government. lie would
not hesitate to say that their concurrence stunild he
refused. He said this the more strongly then, be...!
cause •on a former occasion, when the Tre.itY Was
first discussed in the Wuse, he'haci•endeavoitryd ,to
prevent it from giving its cinch •n ti dm which it
had, since coecurred in. Strong as his opinions had
then been, arid strong as his elf rts• had beam to p6.r.!
suade the House to pause, bet Ore it assented, to the.
Treaty, yet he now lomat Itimselt bound by the dal-
'berate dection of Parliainet. They were irbsv to
decide whether, alter. sanctioning the Treaty, they
were bound to adhere to its prom zoastructions and
what .hat construction was i This was the way in
which his Hon. and Learned Friend had.set out;—
and had determined that if the construction was such
as Government had put upon it as a deliberate act
of the State, our good faith was to be preservedr—
The Right Hon. Gentleman here observed, that he
could complain M his ,Hon. And Learned Friend
to the course which lie'had pursued by laying down
for consideration the technical questirM s. of the con-
struction df • the Treaty, and then giving. a 'glowihg
picture/of thehiiserres which. would he inflicted by-
the meastfre-adaKefivtowardi the
_ N _or wegians. NO
CffiltelliplAtiOp of the miseries which might be inflict-
ed could enable'ufie Blouse. the tietter to &tide on
the queition. Afite -a piinitit examination of the
subject, 'begun with the hope lliat he might-be able,
to find that the- constratetion of the Treaty did mai
• bind them, to. sueh-a measure. he was obliged to coal
leis that the c-tn.clusiott to whirl he had come was,
that by the Treaty they were boillid i aud litoind in
1-
taut: slinse which he Was ehout to explain. His Ho.
'mositalile.. and !Learned . 1:1 i end; when he-had made
la nice distinction between Norway and Denmark;
!as to peace or war 'with this country ; and when ire
;talked of Norway having now started up as an node*
Oelcient State, seemed not to have looked ascent:Ate),
at the different treaties connected with the question.
In these Treaties, there was a cautious avoiding et
the name of Denmark, and an ostentatious ,putting
farehirct of the name. a Nor Way. Sweden' did seem
hilaVetbeen -aware that the dilfrculty would lie on
the part-olNotway. 'ln the Whole of the Treaty be-
tween4lweden and Kossia,..there was, op mention of.
the. cession, !suitor the:ltemisation of Norway. Here
the Right Ikon. Gentleman 'rtlferred to the Treaty.
The stipulation was `not foi the cession, but for the
*filter akin of Nortia:y• ; 'ind in • another part Of the
Treaty, the words were to put)Swedon .Kin aettial
possession of Norway." Looking to the operatives
article of the Treaty between Great Britain'tai Swe-
de*, it
..wottlit.be found that the letter bad slicers the
saMe'eaution in'the wording of it. What we stipu-
lated was " not to interpose any obstacle'to the ces-
tioo"—No, " to the perpitual union of Norway with
' Sweden." He was not saying what we ought 'to
!lave done, but %hat we had done. The Treaty
trund us to co-operate in this union. On the plata
construction of the Treaty, ,wit This done by obtain-1
' ibg the cession of Norway'liyi Dent/ ark ? Had we co-1
• Operated by procuring thisl .hot was it•left doubt-,
' how we were to co-operate I—No--- -It was ei
' isly stated " naval co-eperation." TVA could
1!
is m ran but blockade i What othernava cO-opera-
!lioncould there be its such a CAM ? Chuld it be sup.'
!posed that Gentlemen were callous as to the-means,
:Or. was it meant to say that-they were not bound f .No
'maim could doubt but this-,wasthe'cjanstruction of the
\ Treaty. As to the qualifying condition, that in whir)
the security and happiness of the people of Dtorway
'was mentioned, sheaved th-it•we were bound to some-
thing mole than mere cession • fur what could Den
straric do as to the happh%ess of the people of Norway
'IC the case of cession f Respecting the other queli:
fying condition.. whitb..stiferred to the refusal of
-I.l4'nmark to join the Coalition, it was admitted on
t•all hands that. Dotperlf..ha4 ineoqed the. forfeiture
of Norway in Vas ..rpipeci. l'he condition of our
naval co-dpetation 'arid VS-hi hong& off only by
Denmark having joined the • Confederation ;—it
was ,to be palliatekotily by mei:ending to:the hap-
piness of the, ropey .of Norway.. Sot . eLews -*le
obligations incpri y urgrattrytieslyrD4l. Stec.
den do nothing'? it Ssileaen,- make no sacrifices,
with respect to the annetation Of Norway; Sweden
stood better 'beiore• the Treaty than after it.—
The‘impediate autuals of Sweden upon Norway, was
*tit off by f venpfal, contingent,.distant assistance
worded` by swedes. (Neer, Aerie.) Whet) at the
mblencement of the coalition some power between
assia and Great Britain was necesiary for the bind-
i g. oldie confederacy, tho.sualeur of which was for-
: 11
PI Ow Pg 4 Etat rioNeres which, as it were,
t ached forth, the arms torch other without being'
thle• to meet ; either 13enspark:, Sweden, or Prussia
Oust have Jean thit Poiiir. Neither Denmark nor
?mak .Cotricli it bor!froirr Obvious causes'.l t Sweden,
`ady :izt treaty "Witis,:Russia, could form not so

pifftsiefiattkitifor theAteteg:
union with' RaSsia.l4/Firdlild thitgli *eat cir-
cuovstanees; the prig! • pato&
.den, had been wiselk Pgsf.-:Whin treatfw ghee-
den was first dlstossedithelUileibleillffienlty that the
war 'for the' bait' 4044rivil might **dive AK
great Continetitil oceiirred to him; acrd Made
,the ground: of the itaseisslinent which Jae had then
Ipeoposed_ when' he kotoiie4 hit' an AO fess tii•the
:Throne to kilete. in iveliet illenitient this country would
,rte placed in. this ease? He had done tisis'switit-the
!Siert 'of relieving!t)veciiiiiftry from the:danger of soch
• a Ireversionitry war.' Ncit*lthstitsiding the Maraud of
latch in event, the lLouse bad determined to agree to
;tlie'rreaty, and now the haiiid had happened. But
he had only stated a part of the obligations contracted
by -Sweden--First, she had relinquished for the time
;her operations against Norvray—inekt, she bad en-
gages' to cooperate actively' on • the great theatre of
war. This to-operation might have lasted for many
years, though, as it it was confined
to one. He ivronld not descend to inquire whether
Sweden had employed thilly 'thousand men
.cloritog
.every period of the -CaMpaign? It was enough. that
.with Russia and_ this etnifstry'she had formed the basis
'of that confederation which overthrew the power of
Prowess; and wrought the deliverance of the world.
1 he services of Sweden. were not to be lightly esti-
mated. 'rho words of Austria in her Declatation were
‘itar authority for thrtnagnitude of the crevices of Swe-
den. This was sufficient testimony. Whether the
orriationi of Sweden had' been conducted wisely or
no, the firet swis, that the nbiOn of-England, Rash,
Itisd Sweden, savedthe *ear, hart).—
These engagetqents were Onteicied in 'a vellums of
aifficnlty e we were eelltd upon, to fulfil them in a
moment of temparatiee easel when the Treaty was
made, we were in a mighty' deluge s the waters omit
ne us ; clouds and _darkness .wOre round about us.—
Now the Mighty tOrrent had subsided into a pebbly.
stream. 'We ought to look back to the times when
the Treaty Wattnade. It *et to he considered, that
if the price co.operatlon.vras to be with-
held on Score of its inintoritity, that was as Clri-
fent When if was sanctioned now. In gdocl Each,
it Was now our 'duty to fulfil it. Although Deer
in irk had, acted from compulsion; this assumption
did not change the case, It had been aired, that
Noiway had risen UP an independent State, quite in.
n tent of toll 'the quarrels of Denmark ; and that in
this state we meant to attack her. In the first Pro-
clamation 'of Prince Christian, he said, that before
Denmark abdicated the sovereignty of Norwayit
had given the Norwegians the advantages of peace
with great Britain. This showed them that Norway-
had been at war with us. If Prince Christian took
advahtagn of one part of the Treaty) which gave
peace with Great Britain to Norway, he was bound
by the other part of the same l'reaty which ceded
Norway to Swedei;. 'lnjustice, he could not take
the advantages without incurring the disadvantages.
The Right Hon Gentleman then went on to confute
the arguments, by which•it was supposed that every'
State, assuming Indi-pendence, was to haat its inde-
pendence recognized by all other nations. There'
were instances, in which he would have been gl.td we
have seen the independence of Norway recognited by
Great Britain ; but notht the present case, where we
were hound by an obligation expressly contrary. He
then replied to the general arguments which had
lefery,urged respecting cession, and the rights of
na'ion, in such a case, to assume independence. Our
p'elges remained to be fulfilled.- There was indeed.
no price which he would no: willingly pay to be re-
leased from the 'obligations we had incurred—(Loud
trite of Hear from Me Opposition.) But he could not
agree to a motion which would vitiate our Treaty,
and call in qriestion our good faith with Foreign
Powers. Standing as it did, we were bound faith-
fulle toftilill ante engegemente to Sweden. :
Mr. WHITBREAD said, that tire fair inference
froth:the ;tight Hotiotitable Gentleman's anxiety to
be released iroth this tfeate Would be, that he.intend-
ed to submit' o the 'Hod* a proposition similar to
what his 'Hontim-able 'Friend (Mr. Wynne) had pro:
`posed.. Witat,was there in that proposition but a re.
comtnendetien to Mediate between an inds2ppy two-
pie ar.d the fury of famine and foreig power. In.
_deed the !tight Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Canning) did
rat seem to be himself on the occasion ; the usual
floes of his eloquence had failed hini. It was but
justice to apprise the expectant curiosity of the young
Members ofthis c.hange. The Right Honourable
Gentleman was. so fettered and trammelled in the
web of sophistry, to which the absence of all 'argu-
ment obliged hinetts resort, that he had not once filet)
beyond a creeping metaphor or petty illustration.
Clouds,rivulets, pebbly streams and sunshine, were the
chief ornaments of his speech that night. This could
)only be attributed to the cause. he had persuaded him-
sell t' support. Mr. Whitbread adverted to the
eloquence displayed by his Honourable Friend behind
him (Mr. Lembton), who had proved himself that
c night the worthy representative of the talent and pa.
triotlsm of his father. -He deprecated construing the
Treaty by mere words or particular parts, insisted
-that the resistance of Norway was never cnntemplat-
-ed by the contracting parti!s, and that Norway was
'allotted to Sweden as a compensation for Finland.-
Ispould any man deny the right of the people of Nor-
way, relieved by Denmark from-their allegiance, to
establish that independence which their lofty moun-
tains, their inaccessible coasts, and their native va-
lour promised to secure, and in which he (Mr. Whit-
bread) trusted. Heaves would, crown their efforts
with success.-(Hear, hear.)—Jt was more than in-
sinuated that Prince Christian Was a rebel to Den-
mark, but he had done no nixie than his duty in
obeying the nation's call as a patriot and a Prince.
If England were reduced to the same necessity as
Denmark, and obliged to agree to a cession, not of
Scotland or Wales, lath- of Ireland, would not the
gallant warriors of that country, who are now return-
ing after the glories and the toils of foreign war, in-
stantly lead their countrymen to independence ?
Would that •be treason to England ? The case of
Prince Christian and Norway was precisely the same.
Was starving a whole people a proper object for the
naval forte of England ? It Was war with all its
most humiliating- horrors divested of its glory. The
object of this blockade was not to exclude commetcee
bletnfe,! but to deprive a people of their food.
(Rear, Hear.)—That Denmark had executed her
undertaking was clear, from the ratification of the
treat/ oit the 19t4s of April. Djd Sweden fulfil her
1112geteinenis i This was what Gentleman tbsnight

'OM* of itrreitittiTott, Snail/bat Mff,lstetrettla.. . -
prettlimot communicate, or Most scandalously did.
nockhoir. He regretted he did' hot then see in hie.
place en Honourable and Learned Gentleman (Mr..
Stephen) who hed,ty a Most strange inetaph• t, half
pious and half prophane, talked of throwtne`devine• •
A gauntlet to the ALMIGHTY. which the Al.snonr&
he was sure, world take up. The second mein.: •
her of the metaphor he (Mr. Whitbread) would'
be my unwilling indeed to use. The Himont..?
able and Learned Gentleman expressed the greatest'
kindness for the people of Norway. He wallet•
starve them to their own good, to happiness, to free-
dom. The Honourable and Learned Gentleman's
mercies were most cruel.- (Hear, Acar.) If he (Mr.
Whitbread) did not remember the speeches of the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman, he would that ni..bt
have supposed him one of those advocates of the slave
trade, who would force the Africans to become.stives
Ar their good, or else he would have gemmed him
ode of the old French Jacobins, who offered freedom
and fraternity to nations as he did to Norway, t y fa.
.mine end devastation. But the Nora.eginns, an ob—
stinate and simple race, refused Otis boon from the.
Honourable and Learned Gentle/it in, whom tie (Mr..
Whitbread) then hailed with pleasure on his entrant*•
to his place.• (A laugh, Mr. St./uteri having come him
the House jut! at Inir moment.) The Norwegians wan-
ted no such " lover of liberty,' as the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman declared himself 'a
Would to Goo that he (Mr. Whitbread) critila•
.awake one feeling of sympathy, one spark of e•
tkiisi term fur that unhappy and innocent race, in
the bosom of the British public., (Hear, hear, hear )
He iota beseech the allies not to.alliser th's sirgas
stain upon their character—he would beseech 11i4
House not to justify Bonaparte's construction' of the
Act of cession of Spain, and the Treaty of Tilsit, in,
his aggression upon that country and upon Russia.—
A, literal construction would be iniquitons in the treaty:
before the House. ObligatiUnsextrt.el by dire neces-
sity are not binding, and there •wainothing in the pin.
position of his Hon. Priced (Mr. W. Wynne) which
even those who adhered to the _most rigid construe!.
lion of the treaty might not agree to—(Hear, hear.)
He never in his
.life gave a vote with more ardour and•
anxiety than he should give in support of the motion
that night. . .
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUEIi.
contended, that by the true construction of the Treaty
we were authorised to use hostilities against Norway
in certain circumstances. The ratification of the
Treaty of Kiel was in perfect consistence with the
obligation of the Treaty with Sweden. I altnedintely
after the conclusion of the Treaty of Kiel the Swedish
troops evacuated Holstein, and Denmark -received
Pomerania, together with a sum of money. But
what had been the conduct of Denmark Frani the
moment of the signature of the Treaty of Kid,
Prince Christian acted dike a rebel; As a_subj•cr of
Denmark, he was guilty of treason towards the Da-
nish Monarch ; but whether his treason was of the;
virtinms or criminal kinds mentioned by the Hoot'
and I;e...tined Gentleman ( Sir J. MAC Iciatosh) he woo+
not determine. He was not placed at she head of thlk
Norwegians, but he pliced himself at, their head, and
in defiance of the obedience be owed to Denmei k, de,
Blared Norway independent. He summoned a diet
to meet on the lOth April; stopped tke circulation
of the Swedish Proclamation, And Imiintied the.
Danish Otfiriers in their siitaitions. Nay, the %limp
Governor icentinued by liiin in Bergen, 3ttit Danseris,
At,the opening of the •Piet,, Prince ehriatiait did ante.
begat bynsking whether or .not they would agree to .
the cession, but he commenced with a vehement
more, eithorting them to continue independent, and
to•resist the union with Sweden. • He even went so
tar es to say- that their
iNn
independenceheeta
se
leoustlododbetismaps
I potted by Great Britain.
and when commissioarrs, appointed ay &the Allied
Powers, were about to gitaiin to .the Norwegians
their true situation, would it have been for the Brit sh
G. vernmeot to prevent this from baring effect
'(Hear, hear.) Withe.t4 :entering into te detail of
the operations of the campaign, it was 'Gough to s.r .
that the 'blockade was sanctioned .by All the Allies,
whom she would have represented as dissatisfied with
'the Conduct or the Crown Prince of Swerjea. At least -
it appeared they were so tar satisfied as to agree to
this measure. Tie Right Hon Gentleman then ore
served, that by many judges of military affairs, tin
movements of the Cross n Prune, alter the hattle.of
If psis, were the hest suited for co-operation in :I
general plan of the campaign. He elided by saying,
tint he did not accuse the people of Norway as actit
wrongly, but that we were bound to do what 1144
been dhe, which was not to be compared with she
-advantages which had been derived from the Treaty
with Sweden.
Mr. PONSONBY said, the Right Honourable
Gentleman who had just sat down had said that his
Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Canning) had put this
question upon . its proper ground—that was to say,
we had altered into a Treaty to secure the posseisien
of Norway to Sweden, and to employ our naval force
in the attainment of tilat object. This was the first
time that he had heard any nation could bind itself
to an act of tyranny and injustice. No doubt, if a
Treaty was entered into, whether inconvenient or
honourous, we were bound to abide by its stipule.
tions. If we had undertaken to pay a sum of money,
if the last shilling was wrung from the pockets of the
nation by taxes, it ought and should be paid. If we
had undertaken to give to Sweden commercial ad-
vantages, however incompatible-with our own inte-
rests and posterity, that stipulation ought to he reli-
giously performed ; but no stipulation could be bind-
ing which was contrary to justice itself.—(Hear.)—
Who had ever heard that tt was right to do that
which was iu itself wrong, and which was destructive
of the natural rights of nations I—(Hear, hear. )
J-le denied that it bad ever been in the contemplation
of this country to use force towards the Norwegians . •
all that was intended was, to force Denmark to cede
Norway to Sweden, and this had been effectually
done. With respect to the treaty itself, which bad been
first entered into between Russia and Sweden, and
to which Great Britain had afterwards acceded, he
considered it one which, in point of atrocity, had not
been equalled by any former transaction of mankind.
In confirmation of this remark,
opposite (Mr. causing, who, althoz h he had op-
aetsinsai
ay
tpiabseredfetrhteonitohtelosnpeeorchhisol
ontli.eFltriiegnthdtw(Haso°u.n.WlTGen.nec.wynne).
h tunot he setednittomakesay, thwa.tbithierrete
freed from
the
ifice
w ebb.