Star.
London, England, 1803-05-24 00:00:00

SIIMI3ER 4S°4 -

rAXLIAmENTARr PRuCEEDINGS.

HODES OP LORDS, MONDAY. MAY al.
The Marquis of BALI/DORT (as Lord Chamberlain) reported
his Majefty's Anfwer to a late Added, of their Lordibips refra-
ins the production of metals Mid Papers, which Rated, that be
would be pleated to give &melons accordingly.
The Duke of Ctisansaaltay. the Earls of HARCOVIIT and DJ •
cap, and leveed other Peers were (worn and took their feats.
The Earl of Mona made a few obferratiems, relative to a Bill
before the Hoeft, but in fuels a tone of voice as precluded us
&Madly hearing what his Lordfeip laid; by what we could
soiled, it related to the Bt. Pancras Workhoufe Bill, which lay
per for a third reeding. The Noble Earl armed to fay, that a
'umber of afteradons bad been made in the Bill by the Committee
to whom it wa, referred, and that the Noble Lord, who particu-
larly fawned the BEI in that Hook, appeared to have given ft
mHe concluded by moving, that the Bill be releded ; which,
the quell:km being t, wee ordered accordion'''.
After fame with recpea to the Bills ea the Table
bad obtained,
Lord PILIAM laid before the Hpufe, by emmniad of Ms Ma-
lefty, fame additional Daemons relative to the late Negotiation,
Eco—Ordered to Be cm the table.
Lord Pextram rule to move the Addrefs. From
the papers which were on the table, he was confident
that their Lordthips mutt fee that Minifters had no.
with whatever to conceal any part of their cnndu& i
not only during the late negotiations, but through'
any part of the period which had elapfed fince thei
ignature of the definitive treaty. For himfelf be
could ftatwhis conviaion, that in the-whole of this
condo& there was no reaftmable ground for reproach.
Of this he was at leaft fore that Minifters had, to the
beft of their abilities and knowledge, aced a confci-
.entioue-part during the whole of that important pe-
riod. He was not now difpofed to contend that their
eondud might not, on a future occafion, be made the
fubjea of foie= inquiry, but he could not but ex-
'refs a hope that the dithuffion en the prefent occa-
Son might be concluded with as little reference as
poffibk to the conduit and merits of Mininers. That
condua and thofe merits might be cnnfidered on a
future day, without at all eompromiling any fupport
which migl tbe !zit/en to the Addrefs ? To introduce
theft two fubjeas at the fame time would only have
the circa of fettering the decifion. From a perufal
of the papers on the table, the great, and indeed the
only quefiion was, whether a diftina and legitimate
ground of war had been ellablithed. After having ,
terioully and maturely confidered the whole of the ,
papers, and after refleaing on the part which, as one I
of his Majeny's confidential Minitters.he had thought
it his ditty to purfue, he had no difficulty in declaring ,
,that he eontidered the ground of war contained in the 1
documents in the hands of their Lordthips to be the ,
aloft prong, the molt clear, the molt dittina which
were ever fubrnitted to Parliament. Tbeconclufiot, .
which thofe docuinents. in his opinion, left on the ,
minds of all unprejudiced men mutt be, that war was,
by the condua of the French Government. rendered
inevitable. It was neeeffary to the fupport of the na-
tional horear,the protedion of the national rights, the
iaterefis of our commerce, the fafety of our liberties;
the exiftence of our independence were all involved
in the appearance of effeltual refinance to French ag-,
grandixement and ambition. His Lordfhip declared
k not to be his with or intention to go minutely,
through the papers. becaufe he had no doubt that'
their Lordthips had given them a very attentive con-
fideration. and had formed the conclufion which al
careful perufal was calculated to induce. It was only
aneffary for him to trace the outline of the ecndua
purfued by the two Governments fine the conclufion
of the treaty of Amiens. Proceeding on this prin-,
eiple. he adverted briefly to the principal points of
difpute betwixt the two Governments, as defcribed:
in the documents on the table: With refpea to;
Malta. the conduit purfued on the part of this coun-
try was loch as man prove the fincereft &fire . of
peace. A very &on period had elapfed before,
with the view of facilitating the evacuation of the
ifland, an accredited Officer was appointed to arrange
the mode in wbich it was to take place. Captain Sir
Alexander Ball received full powers and inthottions
to concert with an agent on the part of the French
Government the means of executing the article of the
treaty with the lull poffible difficulty. Previous tot
the evacuation the eleaion of a Grand Matter was an
objet of important confideration, and to this his Ma-I
lefty had given every poffible facility. The Grand)
Blotter then chofcn had Peen reatbils for not acceding'
to the ekaion, and a new eleflion became indifpni-
fible. Again, 114 Majelty, adtuated by the fame de-.
ire of peace and the fame with of carrying into circa
the ftipulatiois of the treaty with ferupolous fidelity.
acceded to an arrangement for a fubfequent elcaion..
with the view of removing every obftacle to the eva-,
citation of the idea. A body of Neapolitan troops'
were in the fir( inßance to be admitted into the
Wand, and to their admiffion on the part of his Ma-
jelly not the fmalleft °hauls was oppofed. In a
word. without going into any minutenefs of detail.
he would content himfelf with referring their Lord-
thips to the clear and unequivocal proofs of a pacific
(pint which had throughout the whole of the Ilipulat-
ed arrangements relative to Malta, been exhibited on
the pan of this country. It was about the 27th of
January that the French Government began to prefs.
in a very peremptory manner, the evacuation
Malta. and it was about that period that Miniflers
thought thcmfelves bound to demand tome fatisfac-
tory explanation of the pretest (ions advanced. and the
views difclofed by the French Government. Cir.
1
eurnftancts then elated which rendered it neceffary
to refer back to what had been the condua of the
Firlt Coastal from the period when the treaty was
concluded. In the courts of this review the plain,
the irrefiftible inference was, that the condua of the
French Government had been one eonftant feria o

uCts totally incoofiftent with a fintere defire of pre
facing the peace of the two countries.—At an early
period after the Treaty was (signed, reprefentations
were maJe about the Freedom of the Pith in this
country, the publications relating on the French
Government to which this freedom gave rife, and
the aceeffity of robjeCting not only the Preis, but
the deliberative Affenstslies of the country to a de•
gra of rearaist lacceiltent with the genius of our