Star.
London, England, 1809-03-07 00:00:00

reeers•••••••'""'"="2"'—'_—_---------- that article alone, there was a deficiencf.orebeaelr
the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr..Be- thirty-two Millions of pounds, the whole suppli fmut
,%e
cr. eery Canning), aided bv his colleaeues, had clos- Portuguese America-and Asia not exceeding.five
ea he' door afrainst conciliation with America, which lions of pounds. The whole of this deficiency arose
y. es lee now to be expected but-through the authority from -our Orders in Council, the French Decrees
o ')arliament. He well knew that he should have never having • cansed the slightest diminution ;so
at anthorities in that House against him on this- that the Berfin Decree was a kind of Castle of Otranto
occasion; : one Honourable and Learned Gentleman conjured up to frighten us, a mere unreal phantom ;
(1)r- S:ephens) he saw in his place, and another as our commerce had continued to flourish, till the
Itiplit Honourable and Learned Gentleman (ehe Orders in Couneil had affected it. Another of their
!
Master of the Rolls) he saw just entering. He was predictions was eqiially false with those he had men-
folly aware 'of the disadvantage under which he timed, namely, that the whole population of the
should labour against such authorities, because un- great empire of Napoleon would be discontented for
heppily the force on his side had been diminished.— • want of colonial produce. But had a single man re-
He had to lament that he conies not avail himself of , fused to march for want of a breakfast of coffee ?
eie authority of that great Civilian (Dr. Lawrence),w Had the operations against Spain undergone the
-di whom he had umiormly the happiness to think ' smallest interruption in consequence ? Had Napo-
aed to act ; but now that Dr. Lawrence was no more, leon rescinded his Decrees? The Right Hon. Gentle-
he might be permitted to pay the tribute that was I men had set themselves in a situation of shame, and
due to- his integrity and his talents. IThatever dis-1 as false prophets. This should teach them not to set
tineuished individuals may remain, either in his par- ! themselves. up as arbiters of Europe, not to go on
titular department, or in the more extended branches I blindly on 4 road in which they had been floundered,
of his profession, he was convinced that it would I swamped and begrimed. All this had been predict-
be admitted on all hands, that in Doctor Law-led on his side of the House. He and his friends had
rcr.ce that House and the country had lost a vast : told his Majesty's Ministers that France would not
fond of' knowledge, an exemplary instance of pub- rise in consequence of the want of colonial produce,
lie virtue, and as large a proportion of political inte- and Frence had not risen. They had assured them
grity as had perhaps ever fallen to the lot of any indi- that America would be irritated, and she was irrita-
viduel. 1-1?,-;-, hear.) Anxiously did he wish that he ited. They had told them, that the manufactures
could have the support of that great Civilian on this' would be diminished, and the exports and imports
question, or that he had left his mantle to any person I decreased, and the fact was so. It was time, therefore,
to supply the loss of his great authority. Yet feeble ! for them to attend to the predictions of those who sat
as he felt himself, and inadequate to the task as he! on his side of the House. Though the manufactures
must he to the combat, he should go forth, armed had generally suffered, yet there were individual ex-
with his scrip and his sling, and enter the lists with ! ceptions, as it was a bad wind that blew nobody
those mighty Goliahs whom he had to encounter.— I good ; and in the general calamity some individuals
The House was sick of recrimination, because it might make • a profit. It was no sign of flourishing
never applied ; and even if it had, it would not satis- manufactures that the poor's rates had increased
that in
fy the country to say, that one Administration was the last year from £24,000 to R 49,000, 1 of
justified because another had done wrong. But he forty mills, about thirty-one were wholly still. They
had never been .t party to the measures of either ; had not even teen aware of the extent to which the
and if the Right Honourable Gentleman should meet Orders in Council would operate. There was not
his arguments by quoting the Order in Council of the one-tenth of the quantity of flax-seed usually sown in
7di of January, 1807, he must observe that he had the country, and the consequence would be, that in
been no party to that Order, but, on the contrary, the next year great multitudes of people in Ireland
expressed his disapprobation of it last Session, though would be thrown tut of employment. But the'Right
sapproVed much more of the Orders of the 11th Honourable Gentleman looked forward to what was
of November, ISO 7. He begged leave to state that to be expected from the Brazils. Many years must
it was not his intention to propose to the House any elapse befnie that source would be available, and
theoretic or speculative propositions, but to call its how was that to avert the immediate calamity. The
attention to the tone assumed by his Majesty's Minis- Right Honourable Gentlemen seemed to be unwarn-
ters in their conduct to America, which was fraught ed by the experience of their errors, unapalled by the
with equal arrogance and imbecility. His object was horrors that surrounded them. Elated by the momen-
to remove the obstacles to reconciliation with Ame- tart' success of the Spaniards, they had insolently re-
rica ; because, so far from supposing the confederacy jetted the proposition of America. The Americans
against this country as " frittered and broken into had various causes of complaint against this country,
fratonents, harmless and contemptible," he consider- the impressment of their seamen, the depredations
ed it as more intense, extended, and continued at this committed on their commerciel property, and the
moment, than at any former time. The snake has violation of their territory.by the boats of ships of
been " scotched, not killed," and she is now more war, as well as by the burning of enemies' ships
dilated, extended, and continued than ever, with an escaping from the French West India Islands within
accumulation of fury in her crest, and tenfold venom their waters. These complaints had at last been
in her sting. He would conciliate America, there- aggravated by the insolent, illegal, unauthorized and
fore, in order that she should not be added to our unjustifiable attack by the Leopard upon the Chem-
enemies; and here he must remind the House of the peake, by order of Admiral Berkeley.- The Right
predictions of the Right Honourable Gentleman op- Honourable Secretary had conducted himself rightly
pesite last Session. The Right Honourable Secretary by acquainting the American Minister, that if this
(Mr. Canning), undoubtedly, had not addressed the case was as represented, it would be disavowed by
1-louse upon the subject as often as his colleagues, Government. In the demand for reparations, ano-
and had not made any prediction, but the Right Ho- ther demand was coupled with it which could not be
nourahle Gentleman next him (the Chancellor of the conceded. Upon this the Right Honourable Gentle-
Exchemter) had confidently predicted that the people man determined tb send out a special Minister to
of America would not submit to the Embargo. An- I make the offer of reparation to the American Go.
other Right Honourable Gentleman (the King's Ad- vernrrient, and here the propriety of the Right Ho-
yocate) wham lee did not then see in his place, had nourable Gentleman's conduct terminated. From the
predicted that a perseverance in the Orders in Coun- moment Mr. Rose went out to America, it was ob-
cil \vould lead to a peace ; whilst another Right Ho- vious that there was no friendly disposition in the
nouriMe Gentleman (Mr. Rose) had predicted, that British Government. That Gentleman was directed
Great nritien would be made an emporium for the , to refuse to enter into negociation, unless the Presi-
tilde a.)I the world, at the same time that he said, I dent's Proclamation was revoked ; and had refused
th at t!!...• neutrality of America was of no use to us. , to allow the revocation of the Proclamation and the
Tatet isieht Honourable Gentleman le I also predict-I Act of Reparation to proceed Jiari liana, and to be
t.!tiett our manufactures would flourish ; whilst idated on the same day. Then the act of Admiral
• (;Keens as ere extravagant enough to prophecy advan- I Berkeley had been disavowed ; but had that Officer
tage, from making the raw material subject to a been reprimanded ? On the contrary, Lad he not
transit duty in this country. Others again had pre- been sent out on another delicate command. The
dicted that the operation of the Orders in Council Right Honourable Gentleman wished to keep the
won! force Bonaparte to rescind his decrees.— affair of the Chesapeake separate from other ques-
Tite Right Honourable Gentleman (the Chancellor tions, and yet he seemed to complain that Mr. Pink-
of the Exchequer) too, to crown the whole system, ney had not adverted to it in his letter. But it was
went forth like a viittious, pious, and humane Legis- only from a Member of the British Government that
lator, with a worthy pinnacle for such a pyramid, his any mention of that transaction could come. Next
Baek Bil!, to compel the enemy to concede to his came the famous Orders in Council, which were said
police. That Right Honourable Gentleman had also i to have had their foundation in the principle of the
stated in June last, when he must have been better Order of the 7th of January : but whose offspring
informed, that these Orders in Council would create they were did not appear. The measure was a
no irritation in Ameeica. In February, Mr. Pinkney chance child ; and it was suppo:.ed that a Learned
had complained of their injustice. The same state- Gentleman opposite (Stephens) had been playing the
reent had been repeated in July, when the Right rogue on the occasion, till he disowned the connexicn.
Ii .neurable Gentleman must have been much better He had stated last session, and he contended that the
inc'errel. when he !_new a flame had been kindled in fact had now been notoriously proved, that the know-
eel! ee se, „inch, instead of using means to extin- ledge of these Orders in Council had led to the ember-
euisl-., he had added fuel to aggravate. The papers igo in America. The Orders in Council of the 1 lth
On the table were full of instances of the irritation ex- of November, 1807, were said to be founded on the
e ,cal be' these orders in America. But from one learni Order of the 7th January preceding, but thefounda-
en. In a letter from Mr. Madison, to Mr. Pinkney, tion and the superstructure was widely different. The
timed March '22, 1 SOS, that Gentleman says that Mr. Berlin Decree preceded the Order of the 7th January;
l'inket:y had, in his remonstrances to the British Go- but it was now proved to be false, that the Americans
vererntel', enticipated the answer of the American I had acquiesced in the French Decrees, as stated in
I ,v , and that the Orders in Council were a , the preamble to the Orders of the llth November.
via lasi. n of neutral rights, and a stab at the indepen- ' It was also an act of insolence on the part of the Bri-
tish Government, that they had suffered Mr. Rose
Lieece of tile United States. This was the measure,
es hied: the Secretary of State represented as not likely and Mr. Monroe to depart for America on die day
to excite :any irritation inAmerica,and which the other of the date of these Orders, or, the next, without
r;ght 11,,,,urable Gentleman (the Chancellor of the charging either with a copy, to have been officially
Excheence) asserted, would not have made any im- communicated to the American Government. In
roeseaa in America, it it had not been for the point of fact, the President had communicated their
seetelies of homers in that House. But would contents in a Message to the Senate on the 20th of
the alas iiokotirable Gentleman now make the same January, 1808, and it was not until the 23d of Fe-
? Would he catch at such a broken reed ? bruary following that Mr.• Erskine was ordered to
D,a he rot ',:nosy- that ail irritation had been excited communicate them officially to the American Go-
iin 111:_ ion ? And if he was still of the same opinion, vcrnment. The feelings of America, at the time of
v.inild not tee certainty of dates and distances con- the Right Honourable Gentleman's taunts and threats,
Jewel him i ia. fact, if :uch observations were to pre- were actually favourable to this country, and that ap-
vcnt. from giving their opinions sincerely, geared from M. Champagny formally complaining
• :neasures, lest it should be said that they of the partiality. Both parties complained of partia-
suppled ereurneets or reasons to other nations, it lity, and that was the clearest proof of American im-
would put end to the freedom of deb tae. Another partiality, as in the time of the immortal Washing-
pecdictien eeietive to the increase of our imports or ton. So early as February, the American Govern-
oeporeo had al.;o completely failed. lie did not ment complained of the injury and insult offered them
rn::,tn to enter into a detail of Custom-house accounts, by the Orders of Corned ; and, if the application
but, tram the papers on the table, it appeared, that made by that Government to the British Government,,
the arnqunt at imports and exports had diminished had been accepted, America would at this moment'
Many minions ; according to his estimate, eleven have been embarked with us in the war with France.
m Heels. Another prediction relative to the supply The .Hon. Gentleman contended, that the deCrees
against our commerce,et cotton wool had likewise failed. In the import Of of France had proved nugatory
•

tad Victheen intended purely asalurerto entrap. this
.
countryiritito.somTei
emeariufireces ohfa.rdetasluiatacc'ondwedh.lehanwdonill!"
be
vas.afraid, from the efFect upon, our manufactures,
that we should have a whole nation calling for bread.
If the offer of America had been accepted, the com-
merce of this country *would -be-- in- a. better situation
than if the demands of our Government had been
complied with. We should then have the monopoly
of the'whole trade of America ; whereas, if the Ber-
lin Decree had been rescinded, and our Orders in
Council revoked in consequence,. France would share
with us that trade. The Honourable Gentleman then
adverted to the practices which had• taken place
against the oppressed Danes last year, in . detaining
their ships in British ports until the declaration of
war should make prizes of them, and besought the
Right Honourable Gentleman to make a note of that
case in his mind. If we had accepted the offers of
America, there was no reason why we should not
have the ports of America now open to us—why not.
have the wheat from her stores, and the cotton from
our manufactures—no reason why we should not
have that country for our ally in the present war ?
The tone of the Right Honourable Gentleman had
been elevated by the delusion of the temporary suc-
cess of the Spaniards. But the Right Honourable
Gentleman's eloquence was of a stormy description—
full of bursts of genius and corruscations of talent ;
but it had the other ingredients of a storm—vapour,
cloud, and wind ! The Honourable Gentleman
then commented on the acute feeling of the Right
Honourable Gentleman, in observing upon the high'
tone of Mr. Pinkney ; but as a joker does not like a
good joke played upon himself, so perhaps the Right
Honourable Gentleman, accustomed to assume a
high tone, was then more alive to. it when applied to
him. He then ridiculed the idea of the Right Ho-
' nourable Gentleman, in wishing the American Go-
vernment to interpose effectually to procure that the
Berlin Decree should be rescinded ; because if the
confederacy was broken into fragments, it was unne-
cessary to apply for the rescinding of that decree.—
The Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Canning),
had in his note thrown out a most sarcastic observa-
tion against the American Government, at a time
that all Europe was leagued against us. He had
said, " that the American Government was no'
doubt too wise and too enlightened to seek the
destruction of Britain, but that some way or other
the American embargo was laid on precisely at a
time to co-operate with the European blockade." A
most unjustifiable sarcasm ! This was not the tone
to use in private life to those with whom we wished
to be friends, nor was it the conciliating and dignified
manner in which great nations should discuss their
differences. It appeared to him, that in the true
language and tone of a statesman, Mr. Madison bore.
away the palm entirely from the Right Honourable,
Gentleman. It was an extraordinary way of retalia-
ting on an enemy to trample on a neutral. If the
French Government had injured us by decrees, our
vengeance and retaliation ought to be directed against
the French Government. It was not even retaliation
to deprive the sick soldiers of that country of meth.
tine : we ought to do something which the French
Government should feel ; but it was most evident
that our retaliation has been only on ourselves, and
that Bonaparte is not at all less powerful, or less able,
to effect the object he has in view, by the cyeration
of our Orders in Council. In point of fact, we dare
not carry our own Orders in Council into execution,
but we were obliged to evade them by cooniving at
smuggling, and by granting licences. Mr. Pinkney
well observed, in his answer to the note of the Right
Honourable Secretary, " that if it were true that the
blockade decreed by the French •vas raised as soon as
it was formed," then it was evident that there was no
occasion for attacking the commerce of neutral na-
tions as a measure of retaliation.' But the Right
Honourable Secretary had said, that the Orders in
Council would not be repealed as long as there way.
the smallest link of this confederacy unbroken. Did
the Right Honourable Secretary really mean to per-
severe in opposition to. the dictates of common sense.
• and the representations of the Americans, until Hol-
land, Venice, and all the countries which France now
dictates to, should have thrown off their dependence i
He had heard since he came to the Hnuse, a very
prevalent report that the Right Honourable Secretary
had to communicate some conciliatory proposition tz,
the American Government. He hoped sincerely
that it was so. If he thought so, he would be most
ready to withdraw his motion, and burn as a bon•
tire of rejoicing all the books and papers on which
he grounded it. He knew that the American Go.
vcrnment had taker. some strong measures to support
their embargo, and that these measures had caused
some popular commotions ; but could we seriously
expect that. the American people could force their
Government to force Napoleon Bonaparte to aban-
don his decrees? If, therefore, we chose to make,
this impossibility a sine qua non, it was impossible
for us ever to be reconciled to .America. We had
heard lately of American vessels which had found
their way to the country in spite of the embargo.—
We were not, however, to rely upon a constant sup-
ply from these embargo-breakers. From those ves-
sels which did come, we got a little cotton wool,
which was not wanting, considering that cur manu-
factories are not halt employed ; but they did not
bring us flax-seed, turpentine, and many other arti-
cles of prime necessity to our manufactures, which
America used to s-apply us with. If the embargo
was raised to-morrow in America, this coaiitry
would be but little the better for it, while our Or-
ders in Council exist; for it never could be supposed
that a single American would submit to pay a -
tax to this country. He believed there was only
one example of an American vessel paying that
odious transit duty, and the cargo of that vessel
was burned by the American populace. The
American people would rather prefer going• to wai
with us than submit to be taxed by this country.—
They all remember that it was on that very principle
they founded their national independence. He be-
lieved, however, that the American Government
would now stand as firmly to their Embargo and
Non-intercourse Bills, as the American Government
did, in the time of Washington, to the treaty with
England, which was by no means popular in that
country. • He feared there were many people in this
country who would hear, not only without regret,
)
but even with pleasure, of a war with America.—
That.country is not popular in England ; the cha-
racter of the people is lot liked ; her Government is

. (No, do, Peg: therrearurt/
was, at least, a strong proof of some ;Mite
feeling when the health of the Pnisideat
was refused to be drank, and some very
vations were made on the condnet of tit. Ce;
who proposed the toast. It had been re :Lie:,
ow American possessions would gain by a
the United States. He doubted, howevi
much, whether we could retain those posee
that case ; he feared we would lose them,
h ips with them sgme of our West India Isla;
had lately indeed- sent a force, collected pri
from that part of the world., on an expeditio7
Martinigae, or rather as a reconnoitring fore.
manner, during the last war, the Right I-I.;
Gentleman opposite (Sir James Pulteney),
tred Ferrol wich 12,000 men, and found th;
ivalls about it and castles, and that it coil
taken, and therefore he came away
French, however, have lately found that Fel
be taken, and have captured a consid
there. We were now excluded from Cadiz
had no reason to expect that a single sh:i) es;
be brought away from Spain. In su.ei
when we had enemies all over the word;,
wee to have the French navy, the Spanish
Dutch navy, and all the naval populati;.!;
mark and the countries on the
us, he thought it would he most imp.
war with America also. The House ,til.
the situation of their merchants, the
were due to them from America, the u
of their exports and- imports, and ;
&s.resses of their manuftcturers. Tie
r.e Meet, that we are a people of factit;(
ness ; he meant by this, that ave could not
a people, or hold the same rank, withaft
France can exist and be powerful without c
America can be great, without comma:;
England should be
.thrown back upon it
sources, how could its navy be supparte,
could its people be fed ? Those persons wi
lowly of the American character, shoal,
that neither Great Britain nor France, anti
dery times, had scarcely produced a man
be compared with the illustrious \Vashin:
philosophers could rank so high as Benja;
En. He could not avoid addressing the ;
that House, in the same language that
trious Washington addressed to his coup',
quitted the Presidency, " Observe, above
good faith and justice to all nations. Cull
and harmony with every country. R,
sound policy alike eUctate this conduct ;
suing it you may set a noble example to
He was convinced, that by purAling
conduct towards America, we would
our side in the great struggle in which a,
gaged ; and he deprecated the forcing h(
ate herself with the enemy. He concluded
That an humble Address be presented to his
Humbly to represent to his Majesty, that in
certain Decrees made by his Majesty's enemies, c:
usages of war and to the rights of Neutral Natio:
consequ.mce of the alkdged acquirscence of Neutral
sad Decrees, his Majesty was ...Wised to issue
in Council respecting the trade of. Neutrals, to
ports and countries of his Majesty's enemies; an
Orders were further enforced by certain Acts pa:
*Session of Parliament.
L'ut that both in the said Orders and in the Ac;
on, a power was reserved to his Majesty of annt
whenever such revocation should appear expedient
That the Coniess of the United States of Am,
at the dangers to which neutral commerce was
practical operation of the said Decrees, and lay
katiarn to be in the contemplation of his Majesty
and actually carried into effect by the said orde;
for laying immediate Embargo on all American SI
and that by the operation of such Laws, all trad;
the s aid States into this kingdom or its depend;
prohibiee.l, and the coon:) . tie! Interceerse of hi
jerts with the said States has Leq3l in other et s.:ec:
peeled.
'faint in the month of August last, the Mi:dst
States, resident at this Court, etude to his Majes:
•an authorized and explicit offer of re-establisiti:
course ; proposing, that if his Majesty's Orders i:
be repealed, as far as regarded the United See
imp sed in the said States•should be removed, a:
his Majesty's dominions; and adding, that if hi
hies should not rescind their Di cress, the said El
cmeinued as with respect to them.
That this offer on the part of the U: ited Stat
just iu principle, and in its tendency Fghly adva
best interests of this coteary : just, ilia:much as
:,retence of the acquits:came of tl:e United State
Decrees; which acquiescence was the only erote
right could accrue to his Majesty to interrupt tl
'tierce of a Neutral Power : end advantageous
inasmuch as, though it should not have pro;
of the French Decrees (the avowed purptise
Orders), it would have secured to this Country ti
arce ef America, and her aliiance ageh:st a Po,
thus have been the common enemy of both.
That we believe and hope that it is still opm
Goveroment to renew, on the basis of :ids pest
mercial ißtercotirsa bete ten this Countre and t!
c rery interruption of which we c as rni
t i the iu:crest oz. !nelt commies, :net calcelate:
signs of our enernins, aril to we )1:, n u ;I- n
rcr
I ha we th,refore Inuit lituh:y hi;
without delay, such measur,s L.:ld
ree obit-dem:et of the commercial intercourse
jesty's Domitdoes and the Utlited States of
56" g, by telneeeee and conciliatory ttegociatice
to a jut and aide able conclusion, assuring hi
firm and invariable seepert in Traintaining g;
aggression, and every n vel claim, the antic:a t
ritime riehts of his h taj, sty's Crown.
Mr. sTEvENs said, while he agrt
the sentiments expressed by the Right
man, he. differed completely frcm him
of facts. Ht coincided with his whole
opinions which towards the conclusha
Gentlem (We speech, he had borrow.,
respectable source. He paid unfeig.
motives of the Hon. Gentleman. 11,
and manly character ; and he really
there w is not in the Ilouse, or in the t.
more truly of Di itish texture, than
Gentleman. When he contemplated
Hon. Gentleman, and of the Noble
introduced this suhject in another pl.“
but re.,4Tet tlh it he had the misfortune I
in opinion to :hem. Ile felt that he
by this difference of sentiment to weigl
merit. He had &ate so, and he wot
betty of communicating to the House
deliberation. Tile fion. Gentleman
gine, that there were people in this cot
regard a war with America with corn
eeuld not believe that such were to.'
himself, he was as averse to such an
Honourable- Gentlem in. He deprec;
America, not because he thought Oa