Star.
London, England, 1804-03-16 00:00:00

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'ply a ferpicion for "Nth There is not the aide* of
wore, 'and import an accufation for which there is
not the flighted ground. I would afk the Right
lionourible Mover of this propofition, what are the
melons, for he certainly has not Liked any, which
have pro4oked hiM to alter his fentiments with re-
(pee to the Noble Lord who was the fuhjeft of filch
warm panegyric, upon the firft acceffion ofithe pre-
fent Minifters to office; and who, I would be curious
so know, does the Right Hon. Gentleman think
more adequate to the high Ration he fills ; whom
would he' recommend to fucceed him ? If the Right
Hon. Gentleman did pronounce the fplendid pane-
gyric to which I have alluded upon this Noble
Lord, upon. light grounds. he was certainly very
'ctaraeahk, for he was, as it were, giving a falfe
`charatter, and that of a great public fcrvant ; but it
Was well &nown that thofe grounds were not light—
fity relied upon the higheß public cervices, and were
Tupported by the warm and unanimous applaufes of
the country. Why then has the Right Honourable
Gentleman, or the Hon. Gentleman who (poke lall,
Changed their opinions ?,Why have they altered their
fentiments of the Noble Lord ? Has any thing oe-
'cowed fine to induce or juflify the change? I chal-
lenge them to take the moil minute retrofpcs of the
condue of that Noble Lord fence his appointment to
the prefidtncy of the Admiralty. Leall upon them to
re-trace all his Reps, and to point out one reafon
why he has forfeited their confidence. I mean
fuch a reafon as this Houle would recagnife as fuffi-
esent to )unify the propofed enquiry. What fads
have they in their power to produce ? lam (edi-
fied they have none, and therefore I will refill the
propofition; and this is the firfl inflame in which
it has happened that I have felt it my duty to
oppofe a motion for inquiry. Indeed, on every fuch
motion heretofore that I reeollee,particularlyduring
the adminiltration of the Right Honourable Gentle-
man by whom the prefent motion was fubmitted to
the Houk, ample grounds were laid to demand in-
quiry ? but in this inflame I am of opinion that the
demand is uarupported, not merely by common fence
but common decency. Ido not intend to attribute
improper tnotives to the Right Honourable Mover ;
but I beg to a& him, what good can he accomplifli
by the prodoeion of papers refpeding the Rate of
oar navy in a former war ? What are his views ?
Does he mean to inflitute a comparifon between
Lord St. Vincent and Lord Spencer ? To afcertain
which of the two is better qualified to manage our
naval concerns? I cannot fee the purpofe of filch a
commit. It cannot tend to any good °Nee. Indeed
I am confident that if a granger were to obferve the
whole of this proceeding, he would got hefitate to
pronounce that it could be only aftuated by faltions
and party motives. This I am the more Rrongly
inclined to believe from the Ilatements of the gallant
officer (Sir Edward Pellew) which was quite a fair-
faftory reply to all the arguments that have been
advanced this evening, and a full refutation of the
calumnies that have been for fame time back propa-
gated relative to the condition of our navy. In that
fpeeeb, which applied as forcibly to the heart as the
underflanding, the Honourable Baronet manifeßcd
not only that fincerity and franknefs which is the
general chara&erittic of that profeflion of which he
foims fo bright an ornament, and which never fails
to istereft any man capable of feeling, but alfo a con-
fiderable mare of acutenek anal judgment; he made
Come very pertinent remarks upon the nature of thole
gun boats which Teem to •be fuch favourites of the
Right Hon. Gentleman who brought forward this
motion, but of which the Honourable Baronet don't
appear at all to approve; and, from my own ob-
(creation, I certainly am difpofed to agree with that
Honourable Baronet. who is much more competent
to judge upon the fubjed than the Right Honourable
Gentleman or any other Statefman. I am not fur-
priced that, there gun boats fhould be treated with fo
much contempt by naval men. I have happened to
fee fomething of them mylelf, by accident, in the
courfe of the lalt war on the South Coal, and they
really appeared to me to be quite unfit to render any
material fervice in the way of attack or defence ; in-
deed fume of them were incapable of fiiing a (hot. It
is known that out of the tzo gun•boats which the
Right Honourable Gentleman had in commiffion at
the elafe of the lad war, there were fcatcely any re-
tairtd as at all ufcful, and th tt riz of them, whic'i
were puichafed from Cioitranois, were much the
wool. Enough has been laid by the Honourable
Baronet of the kind of velltls wb;ch Contradors ge-
nerally built ; and, without referring to the (hips of
the line, of which the Honourable Baronet has taken
notice, in proof of the badnefs of their materials and
the inferiority of their svt.kmanlhip, I flail only re.
mutt on theta gumboots. Ido not, indeed, like to
dwell on the milcondlin of inferior officers in any
department. Ido not with to hear of Curb perfons
in this Moire t we should look always to the heads
of thole departments as the per fins anfweroble to us.
The Navy Board may be fidpeetcd of it tving played
into the hands of the Contraftors dui jog the lalt war;
and, perhaps, to that was owing the greatinferiority of
the Right Honourable Gentleman's gun-boats—an in-
fcriority which was certainly very glaring. for nut of
the r ao, 37 were fold, after advt.:raiment. fir almott
nothing ; Come which could not be difpofed of were
retained, and Cis were fent to Jerky, which were
fuunil fo utterly tifelefs that Capt. D'Auvergne knew
not what to do with them. He, howcver, fent five
of them home Mine time otter, and W.la obliged to
Revd tome of his ben cruizeis to tow them fafcly.
--Yet this is the kind of force which the Right
tionourable Gentleman wet,id recommend in ,prefe-
tenca to any other to defend our coati. It reminds
me of an anecdote of the Right Hon. Gentleman's
a.insioidration, when three men of war were fent
to this country from Portugal, which was our ally ;
thofc Ihips were found to I.: fo incapable of givin
us any atfillmice, ton, on if.: c',ntlAry, were fo little
fea worthy, that it was deterniii.ed to fend them
hon.,, and it became abfolutely necellary to difpatch
one of our frigates with them a, 'a convoy. Such
thiripirvs would of eourfe be rather an incumbrarice
; and the gun boats, to which the Right Hen.
Gentleman is to partial, %mild. trurn all that I have
Kaiel abroad, which is corrotvirated by toe Hon.
B untie' this night, he rather ir;ori.tts on the More
and the number of men they would ne•
e.tfattly recluire, titan likely to be ferviceable. An
/I,as. Admiral on the lower ticncli (Admiral llct;c.
Icy) has, in the c-rode itr a eery estrairrilinarr (perch, ;
It Lied that he had de:iversd in a plan to the Admi I
"kb which, J etkul i.kosl/2 mud stfeaually fecurel