The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-01-02 00:00:00

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these terms, they pursued the war oti a y.. 140144111
and sanguinary principt:oill the Onitere
..11 Lord
.Cornwaltiv, at York their
hoo;:s, and they were 'eninpelled t.r logo the Treaty
Of Paris, recognizing she I itcrefooirlene; .4 the Unisetti
• Stops. That event, however lamented at the ilase
;f its, ocfrarrence, Gentle'men, has teen productive I
of amid, and not of gist, to knillOrl. It imrvr-red
final the Crown (and when I.,sPeitt of the Crows
) ow.» ell understand that I mean Ve sPeak 'frf the
Mi-
nisters of she Crown—l know nr duty too well to
utter a syllable personally disiespnctful of his Max.
ipo) )—I fay this event severed trom the Crown !I
vas quantity of patronage. which we are well aware
it liable to great abuse. And in a commercial point
ar rive, the returns of this port will best show in
what ratio we have profited try the independence of
.Ametica. lam not then guilty of a violation of the
duty of patriotism, whets I say, long may the inde-
pendence of the United States continue—long may
the inhabitants of those States continue to exercise a
due vigilance o'er the proceedingi of their Executive
—long may their country continue to afford ass
asylum to the persecuted patriots, who are proscribed
end bunted in succession, from every country on the
Continent of Europe.
Gentlemen, how were the feelings of the British
• Ministry affected by that infamous deed, the parti-
tion of Poland ? Did they exert any, the slightest
endeavour, to prevent that atrocious deed ? Did
they utter against it any thing in the shape of a re-
. monstrance !—No ! What though that deed involved
in its character the complicated crimes of perjury, in-
justice, oppression, cud cruelty—it was perpetrated
by legitimate Sovereigns—and in modern times legi-
timacy is like charity—it covers' multitude otsios.
What, eetttlemen, was the principle of the war
which we entered into, in the year 1793, against the
Republic of France? Its principle will be. made
plain by a consideration of facts. When the Pen.
pie of France could no longer endure the miseries
which were brought upon them by the inequality of
taxation; and the reigns of Government dropt from
• the feeble hands that held them, they formed for
themselves a Constitution of the nature of a limited
Monarchy, which they flattered themselves would
diffuse happiness through their country to distant
,'lies. Whether Ibis Constitution, if fairly tried,
' would have answered the high expectation of its
founders, it is impossible to decide—for it never was
fairly tried. Its operation was disturbed by foreign
force. A coalition was formed against France,
which was justly characterised by that great orris-
went of literature. Dr. Parr, as " a crusade of
ruffian despots." The armies of this crusade burst
the barriers of France, and advanced into the into.
nor of the country, spreading havoc and devastation
in their way. France was threatened with military
execution ; and her partition was arranged. During
these* events, were the British Ministers scandalized
by the interference of one state in the, concerns of
' seeker? Were they anxious for the preservation
of the botanist of Europe ? No—during all this
14110. their countenance was " all tranquillity and
eitifeS."
But the scene soon changed. fine People of
France flew to arms, in defence of ',stir ceentry.—
The title of war rolled beck with resistless force.—
' The Allies were expelled out of France. They
were driven from river to river in Flanders, and one
strong town after another opened its gates to receive
their parse'''. Then the British Ministers were
• alarmed—they trembled for thErtatante of power—
they entered into all tbe bustle of preparation ; they
took advantage of the horror justly excited by the
execution of Louis XVI. (which, however, by timely
negociation, they might invisibly have obviated) to
plunge this country into a wir Witit France. That
eventful war was terminated by the. Peace of Amiens;
by the terms of which the French Republic was cc.
know lodged, and confirmed in the possession of a
vast accession of territory, and Bonaparte was re.
cognised as its thief Magistrate.
If the ambition of that estraordinary man cook'
have tenlined itself within any tolerable bounds, he
might have provided for the happiness of his People,
and Might have handed down his sceptre to his poste.
vity to distant generations. But his ambition Sias
boundless. Ile ruled Ms vista' nations with a rod of
iron. lie disgusted the feelings (lithe People as well is
the sovereigns of Europe. He oppresed his own sub-
jects. This was the ca[[[se of his downfall. iq our
second wir with him we were completer), leccessal.
And why ?—Because we iptieered in the field in the
character of the assertors bf nat. I rights and liber.
ties. When did success first shine steadily upon our
arms ?—ln insulted 444 injured SPain.. What over-
whelmed Napoleon in 1914? Not merely the mili-
tary array of the Allies, bet the ipirit of the People
of Germany, and the apathy of the poptilation of
France.—This apathy too was his ruin, when he was
obliged to put his all to the hatird of a single cast of
the die at Waterloo. On this topic he has, in the
narrow precincts of Lorsirroett, " room for medita-
tion even to UtiVfnets ;" ends friiin hiefele, statesmen
may learn tMs lebiesir Wet eweispreised People will
never fight heartily le 16% Ailie of (herr ePpressors.
Gentlemen, When' thl was 'fallen, the
doctrines of the People Etirene
.leyit the disposal
of the Congress bf Ve.,;rltMh 'MI Majesty's
Ministers claim to hale hitt ai wis. tie doiebt the
fact, a powerful and effieiOt voice, What then did
they do to nurture the printiplee of freedom, and to
secure or to extend the Ahti People of Es-
rope ? Ask the tieriple of Niiiiivia,iatid they will
tall you, that they marked themlnto set;misaion to a
Power which they detested._ Astthe .Saxong, and
they will state, in the bitternest of anguish, that they
transferred them, like sheep and oxen, to•the despot
of Prussia. Ask the Genoese, 'and they will tell
you, that by a disgusting breach of faith, they con-
signed them to the domination of • Sovereign whom
they despised ihad abhorred. Ask the Oberalea of
Spain, and they will tell you, that when, Ferdinand
returned under their auspices, the Inquisition fol.
lowed in his train. At the Congress of Vienna, in
short, sovereigns irere every thing—the People of
Europe nothing.
So much, Gentlemen, for the foreign. politics of
different Administrations deriUt the present reign.
• ',roof permission, I will proceed to enquire what
plans and projects hate had upon the
of the subject.
the present reign, Gentlemen, the Whig
were firm and active in their opposition

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With yoorp
aspect their
civil rights c
Early in t
Aristocracy
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