Star.
London, England, 1813-04-03 00:00:00

PETITIONS FOR. PEACE.

Lord LEVESON GOWER presented a Petition
from many Master Manufacturers and callers em-
ployed in the Potteries of Staffordshire, representing
the great distress and ruin in which many of them
had been involved in the course of the present war,
—He hoped the House would not only observe that
this Petition was couched in the most moderate ;Ina
decorous language, but that they would also bear in
mind, that the conduct of those Petitioners; in all
their sufferings, had been most peaceal3le and or-
derly. They considered all their sufferings to. have
arisen from the long-protracted war ; and the reme-
dy which they pointed out to the House vas the re-
storation of peace. In this opinion he most cordi-
ally concurred with them ; but at the same time, the
sort of peace which they called for was a safe and
1 honourable peace, and such as was consistent with
the good faith by which yre were bound to our allies.
11 However be wished for the restoration of peace, he
did not wish that any Ministers should enter into
such a negociation fettered by the vote of that House.
He did not see any thing in the conduct of 'Minis-
ters which could induce him to suppose that there
was any indisposition to enter into any negociation
that was likely to lead to a safe and honourable
peace. He therefore should at present only wish that
the Petition should lie on the table ; but as an Hon.
Member (Mr. Whitbread) had given notice of a mo-
tion upon this subject after the recess, he thought
that upon that occasion the merits of the present Pe-
tition, as well as of all others upon the subject, would
probably be fully discussed.
The Petition was then received, and ordered to lie
on the table.

Mr. WHITBREAD, in thing to present a Peti-
tion for the same purpose from a great number of
the inhabitants of Leeds, wished to direct the atten-
tion of the House also to the moderate and temper-
ate language in which it was expressed. He could
also, say, that the conduct of the greater part of the
principal sufferers by this long and dismally-protrac-
ted war was peaceable in the extreme. The lan-
guage of the Petitioners would explain their senti-
ments more fully than he could do ; .he therefore
wished.the Petition to be read. It having been read
accordingly, he said, that it was well known, that
often during the continuance of this war he had
found it to be his duty either to support or to pro-
pose motions of a nature similar' to the prayer of
those Petitions. He carried his ideas on this subject
probably farther than most of the Members of that
House; but still he never had called upon the House
to interfere at all upon the subject, unless he concei-
ved Ministers to be failing in their duty of taking
advantage of the most favourable periods for obtain-
ing peace. He was perfectly aware, that if ever a
period should arrive, when the difficulties in which
Ministers would have to impede them in such a ne-
gotiation would be the greatest, it would be at a pe-
riod when the table of the House should be crowded
with petitions like the present. If ever then he wish-
ed to induce the House to take any step towards this
great object, it was before they, should be borne down
by the irresistible power of Petitions of this sort from
all parts of the country. At an early period of this
Session, when he moved an amendment to the Ad-
dress, and gave the notice that was alluded to, he
had named no particular time for bringing on
that motion, and bad since postponed it indefinitely.
Events had lately happened in the North of Europe,
which had considerably improved our situation and
hopes, and they were still continuing to improve.--
Such an improvement could not have been anticipa-
ted by any one a few months ago ; but still those
events appeared to throw fresh difficulties in the way
of an immediate negotiation for peace. He there-
fore thought it right to leave the Executive Govern-
, ment entirely unfettered upon this subject ; nor
would he bring any motion forward in the HOW*