Star.
London, England, 1803-06-03 00:00:00

or conft fieht With his ditty, if hetlid not now venture
t giv. fuch advice, as is lei' judgment migh• conduce
nio,i to the public intcrcd. He faw no poffible
likely to arife from any chat,ge at prefent. but if :he
did, he thould have nrl helitation in concurring in any
(*itch Hell which might conduce to the prosperity of,
the country. As to the two parties which have been
alledged to exiit in this country, he knew of none,
and confequently belonged to none. He had no ob.
je6t in view, but to afford to his Majetly's Govern•
molt any advice which last in his power ; and what.
ever might be the mink of the prefent yueUtnn, whe-
[her Minillers were to be difmiffcd or not? it mattered
not much in his opinion, pro.ided the affairs of the
country were properly conduaed. We were no
doubt now completely engaged in a war, which ought
by no means to be mifmanaged by thole who were at
the helm of affairs, and now was the time to lay afide
all Party di flinEtions. This he was difpnfed to think,
WAS more than ever the cafe, and that it would- be
greatly the means of our proving fuccelsfulagainft an
ambitious and turbulent foe. . _

......
Lord BORRINODON laid, that he was quite of a dif-
' ferent opinion from the Noble Lord who fpoke laft,
in regard to perleft indifference whether there was a
change or not. He could not agree to the truth of
I the fecond propofitinn which had this day been moved.
He was not In fatisfied as the Noble Lord preferred
ro be, of any impropriety in the criodua of his MA-
jelly's Minifters; though he too 'tmid be very happy
to cooperate in any meafure for the public good, •in
[enquiring into and retlifying their condat. He, how-
, ever, certainly did not think that they had, in any
refpaft, compromifed the honour of the Country by
any improper delay. Every thing tended to convince
them, how deferable it WAS to the whole Country,
that they fhould maintain, as long as pollible, the
Wangs of Peace. In the year 1795, Parlianint
carried to the throne fentiments of regret, upon the
failure of the negotiation which had taken place in
order to procure that objea ; and the fame condua
was purfued in the fummer of t 800, on the renewal
of thefe negotiations. Thefe circumilances were
Ilifficient, and alma more than fufficien ju lifications
of their condua on the prefent occafion, in relpea to
delay in a declaration of hollihties, on account of the
numerous infults which had been offered to this
country. In a war like the prefent, therefore he con
tended, that it was particularly the duty of his Ma-
jelly's Minillers not to prefs matters too hailily, and
that they were deferving of the praise and thank, or*
their country, for having afted with every proper
degree of moderation. It had been contended Is;
fomc, that the delay occafioned by the late illfounded
peace, and tire tedious negotiation, that we have
weakened 0111* means of defence ; but that he coold
prove was not the cafe. We have gain.:J, he laid,
by the delay and intermifrion of }vanities, more than
what moll people were aware of; for we had now
procured the hearts and fords of the inhabitants of
this Country. That acquifition, he observed, WAS a
matter of greater importance. and more real worth
to the nation, than the poll- (inn or fifty foreign
iflands, fcattered about in various parts of the glohe.
Nothing could with any degree of propriety be com-
pared to the vaitie of fuch an acquifition. The fylfem
adpted by France was one of aggreffion, not only
again(} th.is Country, but againit every power in
Europe. Even previous to the great question con-
cerning Malta, he was convinced there was no point
on which the country .(when properly acquainted
with the eircumflances), would not have gone heart
and hand into war for the honour and (mirky of
the Britifh nation and he hoped that the fame
fentiments fill reigned in every breati. As to the
occupation of Egypt by the French, it was a plan
which had been long in exhtence, and agitated. It
was r ne founded at first by the Bourbon family, at
the Cabinet of Verfailles, during the whole of the '
fall century, and therefore it might have been furs-
poled, that the Fira Conful, amine all his other'
projeas, would fill entertain hopes of accomplith.
ing a fcheme, which had been fo long laid, and viewed
as'being fo advantageous to the French nation.—
Previous, however, to the publication of the Report
of Colonel Seballiani, there WAS no defign apparent,
on the part of France, to take porreflion of the ifland
of Malta. He concluded by obferving that it was,
no doubt, his with to cooperate in every meafure
tending to the public advantage, and concurred with
the Noble Lord in being of opinion, that great and
leading talents ought, no doubt, to he called forth,
in order to enable his Majelly to carry on the prefent
war with the utmoft energy and vigour, which was
the only mode of bringing the contef to a fpeealy
conclufion.

Lord Firs rote and (poke to the lllowing effee—
He raid, he was defirous to have delivered his fnd-
ments when the correfpondence was under confidera.
lion, and when thanks were returned to his Majefly
for his gracious Meffage, on which he was confident
there could be but one opinion. He (aid he had pc-
ruled the whole correfpondence with all the attention
he could pnftbly bellow on it. He hardly knew any
one of his Majetly's Mininers, or had any communi-
cation with them, but he would do them the juniee
to fay' that in his opinion they had condo ied the ne-
gociation with honour, candour, and ability, while
thofe they had to deal with were the moll trifling and
abfurd he ever heard of. He was fo far from blarns
ing his Majefly's Minifters for not declaring war
fooner, that if they had ated otherwife, they would
not have got the country, heart in hand, to go along
with them. When he gave his voice for an alive
and fpirited war, he flattered himfelf when any door
was open .or conciliation it fhould not be (hut, and
that Miniffers would do their endeavours to bring
back the bleffings of peace, for that this country
could gain nothing by war but additional burthens ;
and yet. if he might be permitted to give an opinion,
if they wifhed for peace they asked too much. In a
review of the correlpondance, li Grit mentioned the
complaint concerning libel; in newfpapers ' • there,
at the time, he thought very illiberal, but Ilia be
thought it beneath the notice of a great empire,
and that the French nation ought to have confider. 1
ed it as dogs basking aerofs a water, while we our.
felves are (offering greatly from the fame channel,
and hardly a Learned Lord or Gentleman could
dire& a prudent pl in to punifh the delinquents,
without infringing the facred liberties of the prefs.
Another complaint, if poffible, more abfurd, was a
requeff so remove firm this country the tit:ha-innate
emigrants who had taken filcher under our hofpita-
lity and protation. He laid he scifhed at the time
the crowd of emigrants full let foot in Britain, the

&tett law had met them on its hank. ts, roe they eft-I,
tainlv protitoted French principles and fedition, as I
much as the min fanguine willies of the Firtt Conful
could &lire. The paffionate, impolitic conduit of
the Tilt Conful to our Ambaffador, was jolt to be
treated with the contempt it deferved. Sebaftiani's
reisort, be thought, a companion of vanity to flat•
ter the Firlt Conful, and very probably the greater
part of it falfe. He oppofed no Government, but
the infamous Government of Stock jobbers, which
was by far too powerful in this country, and he did I
implole Noble Lords to take it under their molt fe-
lions confederation; for, if Learned Lords did not
bring forward Tome law that could reltrain that infa-
mous gambling, it would bring down ruin on this
country ; he thought it more dangerous than all the
national debt, and that we ought to look with a jea-
lous eye to the mercantile empire in Leadenhall-
Itreet. Much wealth certainly came from the Eall In-
dies ; but they brought along with it bad principles
from peculation and extravagance.
The Duke of CUMBERLAND obferved, that in his
opinion there never was an occalion in which the
Country was more indebted to his Majefly's Minifters
than the prefent one ; for their conduit during the
whole courfe of the late Negotiation, and the Lauda-
hle moderation in delaying the commencement of

Lord BOIMINGDOW explained, that in making nfe of
the expreffion quoted by the Royal Duke, he had not
been aftuated by any motive of dilrefpea towards
his Majesty's Minifters.
Lord SUFFOLK lupported the motion for the pre-
vious queflion, and cenfured the condo& of the late
Minillry in their anfwer to the firs overtures of Bo-
naparte—the violation of the Treaty of El-Arifch— 1
1 the orders fent out for the recal of General Aber-
cromby, immediately before his landing in Egypt,
and the general haughtinefs of their conduft and lan-
guage, which he particularly controlled with the ci-
vility which marked the deportment of the prefent
Minillry, and laid, that thole perfons who fpread
abroad evil reports to their prejudice, were guilty of
the greatest injury to their country.
Lord WtSTMOR ELAND faid, that he rote for the
purpofe of anfwering the accufations which had this
day been unjonly made by a Noble Lord againn his
Nlajell)'s Minitters, whole condo& in his opinion,
wa. Inch as was highly praife worthy, and mull be
II ntering to the Houle and the country at large to
dinover, on the prefent occafion. He faid, it was
entirely a war of ambition and aggreffion, on the part
of France, and in no refpea was it occalioned by
the condua of this Government. ft demand on
the it part. for our evacuating a place of fuch impor-
tance as Malta, while it was not continent with the
Treaty of Amiens, was finely to be looked on as
a declaration of war, for fuch •was the conftruaion
he moll put on the words of the Fitt! Conful and
Talleyrand. The party who had thus collie of
complaint, had a right to commence hoftilities, with-
out waiting till the other was prepared, feeing that
they were thus called on to do what they were not
bound to do by the treaty. Was it the duty of his
Majefty, or thofe to whom he had entrulled his confi-
dence, to wait till the (tortes was colleaed, and pre-
parations made by the Chief Conful, and till he had
withdrawn his forces from dangers ? Were they thus
to facrifice the interefts of thofe committed to their
Charge ? No : their moderation, was no doubt com-
mendable, but a further delay would have been im-
prudent. They were bound by the treaty to attend
to the integrity of the Torkith Empire, and the Inde-
pendence of the lonian Hands. As to Malta, the Ili-
pulations in regard to it foasewhat refembled a private
contrail, one of the parties ao which had died, and
confequently an alteration mutt neceffarily take place
in regard to the deliveiy. of the property. concerning
which the agreement bad lama made. When called
on to evacuate Malta, it was. no doubt, their duty to
confider the importance, of the place; for fence they
were not bound by any provilion in the treaty, it was
by that importance they were alone to be direaed.—
Its importance to this. Cottony could not be doubt-
ed, when conlidered as berms the key to the Levant,
the proteftion of our Indian ponefLons, and of
Egypt ; in Ihort, our only hold in the Mediterranean.
—From its centrical fituation, it as convenient
for our purpores, and eafily faccoured from this
Country. Whether this Mond be of fuch impor-
tance to this Country, or not, when he confider,
cd the other matters in difpute, he could not help
thinking that war was inevitable, even with or
without Malta. War could nothave'been delayed
for many weeks, although we had aaually evacaated
that Inand. He nulled, that the dignity of the Crown
of England was not yet reduced fo low as to be under
the neceffity of purchafing tranquillity at fuch rates
as the infults which had been offered to us by the
French Government. We were now engaged in a
war continent with true policy, and he was not afraid
of any charge againft his Majefty's Minifters being
fubflantiated, either from that being the cafe, or from
the delay occafioned by their moderation and forbear-
ance. It was now, he laid, become a common-place
echo, on the other fide of the Hoofs, to exprefs an
apprehenhon of a degree of infufficiency of his Ma-
jelly's 'Milliners. Such, in particular, had been
often the language of the Noble Lord oppofiteto him,
who, confident of his own abilities. fancies that he
difcovers improprieties in the condua of hisMajeny's
fervants, and he has thus been enabled to difcover
the real merits of the late Adminiftration; but let
that Noble Lord, and all thofe of a like opinion, re-
colleft the event of Copenhagen, Gibraltar, and the
La campaign. and it will be evident that the War
Department was not mifmanaged. With retina to
the Definitive Treaty, he would, after a few oliferva-
tions. leave it to be torn and mangled by thole Noble
Lords as they might think proper. That Treaty re-
ceived the approbation of Parliament on the zd May
without any improvements. He would afk what
better teft there could poffibly be. than the approba-
tion of Parliament in regard to their condo& ? It was
grange to let up the opinion of a few individuals to
that of the Parliament of Great Britain. Now he
would confider what were the consequences of that
peace : there were, no doubt, 70,000 militia, and
' moo° regular troops difbanded, betides a great por-
tion of (cornett: but thefe circumnances could not be
ialledged as any fault in the Adminiftration, teeing
;that the Ilion duration of that Peace could not pofii
bly be imagined or torefecn. They have thus given
fufficient indications of their difpnfitions for Peace,
and what would have been the tefponfibility of his
Majedy's fervant:, if they had again haltily involved

us in a renewal of wa-, without a Parliament, Hitt:.
out Militia, and without our Five( king p.arralv
manned? It was evident, that we had no defile to
plunder, no with but that of fecuring peke to .!:e
world, which has been lb highly di:lmbed to fatisCv
the ambition and vanity of out who not
contented with his acquititious Oil the Continent,
wales to extend them to every Tuner of the glob?.
We have at preterit an army and fleet greater than
ever this country was in polieftlon of at the com-
mencement of any former War. He concluded a ith
expreiling the fatisfaaion lie now felt, that
of the condua of Miniacrs had been fhewn to the
public, to convince them that this prefrnt war was a
war of necetlity, and that they have notating mole at
heart, in the declaration of Rich a war, than the good
of the nation. This, he fail, was at lead one point
which we had gained by the temporary peace, and
we (hall now hear none of thole murmurs concerning
the calamities of war, which had on former occations
been fo much talked of ; for, now that loch unani-
mity was produced, he entertained no doubt but that
the people of this country would march with one
heart and hand in the defence of their deareft tights
and privileges.
Lord MULGRAVE role to fupport the conduct of
his Majefty's Minitlers ; but before he proceeded to
that purpofe, he felt it necefrary to call to the rccil.
leelion of the Route, one principle which had fallen
. from the Noble Lord who fpoke fail, and to depre-
cate it as one, which coming from a Noble Lord in
his high Ilation, and going forth to the country,
would be pregnant with the moll mitchLyous and
alarming confequences. The Noble Lord had de-
clared, that all fader: had a right to demand their
difcharge whenever a peace was concluded. His
Lordfhip was proceeding to reprobate a principle to
dangerous to the difcipline of our Fleet, and the pub.
lie fafety of the country, when

, Lord WESTMOILF LAND rote to fet the Noble Lot d
right as to the expretion he had ufed, and his mead-
ing. He would by no means be confideredas affert-
ing, that any branch of the public force had a right
to demand their difcharge when the Government of
the country did not think it expedient. He meant to
fay, that tailors employed on dillant voyages and
climates during a long at:d arduous war, naturally
expcded their difchatge upon the conclufion of the
peace, as was always cullomary.
Lord Muecaava returned, and Paid he was glad
that he had given his Noble Friend an opportunity
of explaining away that idea, which he was lure
never could have been his opinion, and which going
forth unexplained, would impels the moll Thu:.
chievous opinions upon thole to whom it alluded.—
With raised to the condo& of his Majelly's Mini.
tiers, he fincerely deprecated the fpccies of difeuffions
which had of late obtained in this Houfe, at a ult.'s;
which called more than any other in the• period of
our hiflofy, for the union of all parties—for our
common fecurity, againfi that infidious and defpe-
rate foe, who might be compared to that venomous
and treacherous rattlefnake, which never gave warn-
ing of its approach until it was bent upon the de-
ftrudion of its vitim. Adverting to the whole.
feries of his conduit fence the conelnion of the treaty
of Amiens, wherein it was thought prudent by
his Majeßy's Miniflers, in their fincerity for perma•
nent peace, to facrifice to much for an °llea fo detir-
able to the moment when the condud oldie Fiend&
Conful rendered peace no longer tenable contiftent
with the honour and fecurity of this country, the
whole of his progrefiva meafures formed one unin-
terrupted.feries of aggreflon, intuit, and inordinate
aggrandizement ; nor would this country fo (non
have had the advantage of knowing his intentions
with regard to Egypt, had he not made inadvertent-
ly'his declaration to Lord Whitworth, in the confi-
dent fecurity of poffeiing Malta, which would have
removed the chief attack to his polleffion of that
country ; with refped to which his determined inten-
tions were afterwards unequivocally proved in the
report of Seballiani. It was unneceffary, 4er dm
purpofe of proving the rooted and unchanged holli-
lity to this country, to call to their Lordfhips' recol-
ledion thofe palpable aggrefLons of which he had
been guilty under a foismn Treaty of Peace. Not
only his exelufion of Britifit niannfalnres from all
the ports arra/tee, and of every other country in
Europe where his mandates or his influence mild
operate, but the adual feizure and contifcation of Bri-
tills (tips, which were either forced by !frets of wea-
ther into French ports, or which had gone thither in
!WWI to procure cargoes of French produce or ma-
nufaelure to trade with to other countries, under no
other pretence than becaufe the Captains on board
fuch veffels bad ufed at their tables, in their own ca-
bins' knives, forks, or fpoons of Englifir manufacture,
and for fuch hoflile ads to refute all red, efs. Had
he not fent military (pies into the heart of this coon-
try, under the guile of Commercial Agents, and,
added to thele and numberiefs other nggreffions, had
he not emphatically declared, in a perfonal converfa.
' tion. with the Britifh Ambaffador at Paris, that he had
no fcruples to rifle his own life, in heading an army
for the invalion of this country with an hundred
chances to one of his going to the bottom in the at-
tempt t With fuck rooted and determined deigns
for the defirtation of this country, his Majcay's Ali-
niflers had no other alternative than war, which had
they fooner declared, they might not have carried
with them that unanimous I:aliment of the country,
which tbcir then pacific forbearance had now fecured
to them. The country, therefore, had now to look
Ito the war in which we are inevitably engaged, as the
war of a free and independent nation, defending their
country and conflitution with legit.maie reniurces,
voluntarily contributed, againfl an ambitious Defpot,
fupported by arbitrary couteription, forced Iran, the
plunderer of his non country, and thole nations
wham lie called Allies, in fuppoit of his ambition
and infatieble thirft of power ; and after the. full;
candid, and explicit Ratcment which his Majelly's
Iviiniaers had given of the shrlc of their conduit,
from the moment of their accetion to power to the
prefent moment, in the papers now upon their Lord-
(hips' Table, he could not but deprecate every thing
like an infidious enquiry with the pin pole of crimi-
ttting thofe Miniiters, and evincing in that Houfe a
foirit of diviiion, whole dials molt be to d.imp the
spirits, and dittrad the exertions of the count, y, and
give new erceuragement to the enemy : he ihould
not, therefore, vote in this inflance for the previous
quellion, but move that the Houk do adjourn.
Lot d CAR i tiez net med the motion for adjournment
a Cott of Mil Pr eiClur is favour of his Maj-lty's Mi.-