Star.
London, England, 1805-02-13 00:00:00

were eolletted tofnpprefs the rebellion in Biter?,
and the proof he gave of this was as curious as the
conjecture: becaule (laid he) they were afterwards
fent there. But it WAS as fair to conclude that they
were fummoned to Ferrol for a very different pur
pose, inimical to the interefts of Great Britain ; and
that being difappointed of their primary °Ned, it was
afterwards determined they fhould advance on to
Bifcay, to over-awe the infurgents. But, Pays the Hon.
Gentleman, the (hips were only half-manned, and
could, therefore, be diftniffed on no actual fervice.
True it was, that on board the crew were certainly
inadequate, but in the vicinity of the port men were
affembled, fo that the complement might have been
procured in the Short interval of a few hours. A
eomparifon was afterwards drawn between the Fami
ly Compaq and the treaty of St. Ildefonfo, and it was
laid to the one they were invited by attachment, to
the other by fear, and hence the latter was expeded
to be inefficient. We were on this reafoning to con-
' elude that the tender affections were more powerful
than the law of felfprefervation, and that the fenfe
of the danger of having a French army in the Me-
i trnpolis of Spain was inoperative. But human nature
would revolt at the &traits loch an army would
occafion. Did we know fo little of France as to
imagine this would be any impediment to her ambi-
tious projects? She had 'hewn herfelf wholly regard-
lefs of the lives of her own people, whenever any im-
portant object was to be attained by the fangainary
facriflee. The Hon. Gentleman Paid we -had no
right to take the me:trete of precaution that had been
fo much in6fted upon, and he gave it the appella-
tion of *dual war. His Majelty's Mlnifters con-
tended, in anfwer to this, that they were autho-
rized to go to war—but that they did fomething
lefs, which they have truly denominated a precau•
tionary meafitre. Learned writers had been quoted,
and thofe who had confalted Vattel, found' that
enlightened Author, on the fubje& of reprifal,
confidered taking fecurity was jullifiable without
a Declaration of war, and that when this leen-
thy was obtained by certain ads of violehee, it
was the milder courfe to purfue. The argument in
favour of declarations of war, drawn from the cit.
cumflance of the number of innocent and defencelefs
perfons who were expofed involuntarily to hottility,
without thefe preparatory notices, in the prefent in-
fiance, was wholly inapplicable, becaufe the (hips
now taken were beyond the reach of intelligence of
fuch declarations, and hence be had a right to
affunae, that the Hon. Gentleman had only em-
ployed this reafoning as a colourable aggravation.
Mr. Pitt concluded in the following terms :—" Sup-
poling we had purfued a contrary nourfe, what
would then have been our fituation ? the (hips
and armaments would have been completed ;the
treafures of Spain would have been poured into the
lap of France ; a junction of the hoftile fleets might
have been made at Rochefort, and, at a favourable
feafon, they would perhaps have made a fuece(sfol
defcent upon Ireland. What then would this pha-
lanx of the Oppofition have raid to his Majefty's Mi•
nifters, and how Should we have aufwered the ferious
charges of negligence, which would, under theft cir-
cumstances, have been adduced I I alk, with confi-
dence, after t4s expofltion of fads, not oaly the
judgment of the Hou&, but of the country, and the
world, upon thofe tranfadions."
Mr. FOX Rated, in explanation, that, he had been
wholly mifanderftood by the Right Hon. Gentleman:
He had never fuggelled the propriety of obtaining a
categorical anfwer on the (ilk's& of the Treaty of -St.
Ildefonfol 'Which might have precipitated this coun-
try into an immediate war.
The Hoare then divided, when the numbers ere
—Againft the Amendment, 313—For it, I°6—Ma-
jority, 207.
The original motion was then put and carried.
Adjourned at a quarter part fix o'clock this morn-
ing.--(Wednefday. )
While the majority were in the Lobb, the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer ftated that the Report upon
the Addrefs would be received to-day, and that pro-
bahly it might produce Tome