Star.
London, England, 1828-07-01 00:00:00

jests in ignorance of the circumstance, for the purpose
of calling on the Government of Portugal to compensate
them? I repeat, this may be law, but it is inconsistent
with every principle of equity.
Dr. PHILLIMORE said, that the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had :nisappreheaded what be had said. He had
merely maintained that no blockade could be binding
upon this country until legally announced by its proper
authorities, and that the Ministers were under no neces-
sity of intimating it until they had been officially in-
fot med of it by Portugal.
Mr. PEEL explained, and maintained that the Go-
vernment had no option but to act as it had done.
Sir G. COCKBURN said that he had had some little
Practical experience of what were the usages mt war with
respect to maritime blockades. In the ordinary course
of proceedings, the vessels of war blockading the port,
gave notice to merchantmen nut to enter ; and if, alter
this, they attempted to violate the blockade, they were
captured and condemned as lawful prises.
Lord MORPETH wished to ask, if the port of Lishon
were to be blockaded by order of the Junta of Oporto,
the Government of England would take the same steps
that they had taken in the present instance ?
Mr. PEEL could not pretend to say what Govern-
ment would do in a case which did not exist. The
question reminded him of a similar interrogatory lately
pbt by the British Ambassador to the Reis Effendi at
Constantinople. The British Ambassador, with the Am-
bassadors of the other Allied Powers, having heard or
the battle of Navarin, thought proper to ask the Reis
Effendi the following question : 66 Suppose a contest to
take place at Navarin between the Allied Fleets and
that of the Sultan, what course would the Turkil Go-
vernment be induced to take on that account ?" To this
question the Turkish Minister replied," I have not heard
of any such-contest; I am not aware of any such event
having occurred, and I do nct see the necessity of saying
what we should do under circumstances which might
never take place. It is not the practice of the Turks to
name the child until after it is born and its sex ascer-
tainee—(Laughter). I think this maxim of Turkish
wisdom may be well applied to the conduct of a Chris-
tian Minister.

Lord MORPETH said he might possibly be wrong
in putting the question, but he had been misled by his
anxiety to ascertain the stiict impirtiality of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers.

Mr. HUME had but one word to add. If our rela-
tions with that country were to be altered, he hoped
Ministers would take the first opportunity of placing
our trade in wine with it on a better footing than it was
at present.
Sir JAMES MACINTOSH said he was only anxious
to add a few words to what he had already said upon
this subject, and these few words he felt entitled to
express, in answer to what had fallen from the Right
Hon. Secretary in favour of the Turks. The Right
r Honourable Gentleman appears so enamoured of that
people, that he has made use of Turkish logic, Turkish
Larguments, and Turkish jokes upon the occasion. He
had only to hope that the Right Hon. Gentleman would
respect the right of Oporto to blockade Portugal, as he
now did the right of Portugal to blockade Oporto.
It was then put and carried, that the House should resolve itself
into a Committee of Supply en Wednesday next.
Mr..TENNISON presented a Petition from the Burgesses of
East Retford, complaining of the Worse taken by Parliament with
reference to the Bribery and Corruption in that borough. The'
Hon. Member presented a similar Petition from six or seven per-
loos of that borough.—Ordered to be printed.
Colonel WODEHOUSE moved for a variety of Returns cow
tweeted with the Prosecutions and Exchequer Fines for Illicit Dis-
tillations of Malt front 1803 to 1812; distinguishing the *mount re-
ceived and the amount of dietse incurred in thor presesutiono—
Ordered.
Sir F. BURDETT gave notice that he would to-morrow intro-
duce a measure with reference to a more pare and sufficient Supply
of Water to the Metropolis.