The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-02-24 00:00:00

....,

bad bees ataailinie sit the bar of that House,
until be bit delivered Use testimony, be
would say, like candid and gallant man ; then,
and not tilt then, cause that paper from Lord
Chatham, which was so heart-brltaking to the
eery, not so because they deserved the reflections
contained; no—but because, after eu.ope-
tatiur with all the gear ier their power, they
1 fiend the cullea-gue with whom they bad abet.
int, by aborts their services had been applaud•
est in all his public dispatches, bad clandestinely
pat *paper into the King's hand, containing. a
fteat depreciation of their exertions, soden attack
upon% their character, attempting to poison. the
Royal mind against them. If, after the exposure
that had since take 3 place, the Navy did not now
writhe under this paper, he thought he knew those
whodidr I Loud cry of hear, hear !) The it..
Section was calculated to make some men wince.
What did this Nettle Lord say upon his mini.
*alien at the bar as to this paper? Why,
0' that lie delivered it to his Majesty at the
Levee." Did he see any oL the Ministers
ibere " yes—spoke to some of his colleagues
about the paper, but did not notice Lord Mel.
pave could not say that he was there."—
Such was the Noble Lord's account. Well, what
followed? Why, at a very late hour of the night,
_laud Mulgrave wrote to Sir Richard Stracban,
'biting that Lord Chatham had presented a oar.
/alive of the Expedition, but of what nature was
tot described, and calling upon him Our Richard)
to prevent another. And here he could not help
repotting an old anecdote to the house. die did
net pretend to have any talent for humour; no,
sot even for that lowest species of humour, a
pen. But there was a pun which occurred to his
memory; and which, be thought, might besot in.
appropriately quoted upon this occasion. Perhaps
the story was familiar to many who heard him, of
the lawyer at a coffee-room, maintaining very
eagerly-, that there war no distinction between
the words the and likewise, when a wag denied
his aesertion, addressing him thus : " Mr. Dun.
sing is a Lawyer, Sir, sad you are also, but
sat Mlle wise—" So with regard to the app.
cation to Sir Richard Sheehan on the occasion
singled to. Lord Chatham sight inwennt a oar.
ratite also, bur sot in like ,saner. Nu ; Sir
Richard Strachan's narrative wise to be put
tato the bands of Lurd Mnfgrave. What, he
world ask, could any man say in damn° of
each conduct ? A Right Honourable Gentlemau
(Mr. DIM4III &sunders) had observed, that he
thought it unnecessary to re-state the arguments
urged on his side of the House. But where could
be find arguments to re-state. In fact, if the
Hight Hun. Got. was appointed to collect argu.
meats ou his side of the House, be would enjoy
q perfect sinecure—which, by the bye, wv.s a kind
of office to which the Hight Hun. Gent. his friends,
er his countrymen, were not generally sup.
posed to agte.rtain a very strong objection/ But
were there no other papers presented to his Ma.
jetty by Lord Chatham, relative to the-Scheldt
Expedition, than those before the House ? He be.
bored is his conscience that then were, sod he
would call upon any man hi the House to lay his
baud upon his heart and say, that he did not be.
here so. If ouch a man was to be found, he could
pot expect his vote upon thu occasion. Moe those
who concurred with his belief must, for it follow.
cd of consequence, feel the necessity of calling for
the production of such papers. Ministers said, that
if such papers were in existence, they were not
to be fuuhd in any of the Ministerial Offices. But
this was the jet of the charge...they could not say
that there were no !itch papers—no, they would
nut venture upon that. In fact, if they had as.
forted at the outset that there were no such pa..
pen, he would have withdrawn his motion.—
' Conld they say so even now, he would pro.
ceed no farther. Several of the Gentlemen on the
Ministerial benches endeavoured to maintain that
Lord Chatham's proceeding was quite a justifiable
act ? Was. it to inferred from that that they
would feel it justifiable to follow such an example;
that soy of them would deem it right secretly to Me-
morial his Majesty against the conduct of a col.
leagee? Possibly, if they could open the King's es.
cruioi re, such a memorial might be fouud...perbaps
a similar manuscript to that on the table, against
the whole of the Hight Honourable Gentlemen ; a
complaint from Lord Chatham, that so imperfect
or anfounded was the information with which his
colleagues had furnished hint, and so clumsily
contrived their arrangemeuts, that he found it im.
possible to execute the object of the Expedition.
What, if the Lord Chancellor were to have a peep
Into his Majesiy's escretpire ?—might he nut have
occasion to exclaim is the words of one of
the first dramatists of any age or nation, in The
School for Scaudsg— bat iso ; his Lordship was too
pines, to swear although another Chancellor
might t—" A mehtorial from Mr. Perceval against
Lord Chathamt. and another from Lord Chatham
against the Minister, by all that's damnable."—
Really from this •o+- so.
ready tq vindicate, and from that course which they
were so bible to permit, the worst consequences
were to be apprehended, if it were not for the cha.
factor of the Monarch under wham we lived.
But if such Ministers were is ezistence at the
Ouse of din 17th century, under the wily Save.
reign who thcu sat on the throne, he would have
encouraged them to memorial against each other—
he would have kept alive disaMisione amen
them—he would have by suck management put
each of them in his power, and through them
be
Is'oold have ruined the country pear, hear !]
'the Honourable Member could well suppose
such a King's escrutoire like the lien's mouth
Which once received the secret information,
. which treachery communicated to the Govern.
' went of Venice, and which often led to de.
'Otruction. to the narrative under consklura•
• lion he recognized some striking features of
Lou species of information:; for it attempt-
'id to blast the fame and prospects of a body
of gallant Officess. But the snipers still kept
back, might be still worse. They mutt, hoer,
"lever, 1.4 brought to light. Such a 'Nutlet)
Lord Cliathans's conduct. disclosed mast be
• swami and reprobated, nr responsibility was a
sums and there was an sod of tbo Comae.


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