The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-05-30 00:00:00

ritE EDITOR •r :Its STATESMIN.

Stn,—lf I have not already trespassed too much
sn sour room and indulgence, I should, with more
confidence, expect the favour of an tesertion for the
fee remarks I have to make on the conduct and
,pseches of those illustrious seceders from the cause
a liberty, Mr. GRATTAN, Mr. PettNAITT, and
Loid MILTON. Of the first I cao only say, that his
attachment to the principles he has so long professed,
has, for many years, been suspected by those who
know more of his character than I can ; but to me it
;ewes s appeared that he sullied the purity of his pa-
:riotism when he accepted a pecuniary reward for it ;
and he now gives us just reaeart to suspect his inte-
,;rity, if the rumour is true, that his son has been ap-
pointed to a lucrative office. Mr. PLUNKETT'S re-
ported promotion will easily account for his sudden
desertion of his former principles; and these facts
are, perhaps, with some people, a sufficient answer
to all the sophistical arguments employed by these
Geutlemen to gloss over and varnish the hideous
aspect of their politiod delinquency. In the whole
of his speech Mr. GRATTAN seems as if he consi-
&owl BONAPARTE neither changed as to character,
nor to circumstances, which is both unfair and impo-
litic. He repressed himself rejoiced. to lad that we
were not going to war for the sake of restoring the
Iloverosis to the throne of France ; but I should
think it must puzzle his ingenuity not a little to prove
it ; if he believes it, I can only say, that it shows
how easily men can invent excuses for themselves
when they know they must lie tit der the imputation
of doing wrong. The whole of Mr. GRATTAN'S ar-
gument, or rather his justification of his own con-
duct, nets err the supposition that UONAPVRTE is
not to be trusted hecanse he has formerly been per-
fidious. When llov tote is accused of " ferocious
enmity and malignant hostility," let it be remern- 11
bred that he was in possession both of Vienna and
Berlin, and that he suffered both the Austrian and
the Prussian Monarch to reign after he had it iu his
power to have 44 erased them from the list of ,
Crow tied Heads." Should he again be alike sec.!
cessful, and suffer them again to reign, lie may not,
periiips,• be so indulgent to his fallen foe. I am
sorry to find that Mr. GRATTAN has recourse to so II
retry an argument as that of accusiug Hoe tl'ArtTE
of being the first to break the Treaty of Fontein-
bleat, ; his motive is evident ; because the contrary
being the fact, he wishes to deprive .....IifiNAPARTS of
hi, chief justification. That the Allies gave liberty
to Eiance is somewhat dubious ; for whether the
Hoe 'mums would have suffered that liberty to re-
mail entire, is very doubtful, considering the amity
encroachments they had made upon it during the
short period of their restoration. 'flea the Allies
gave Boner tare his life, is falsified by their own
confes.ion ; for Lord GASTLEREACU allowed that
Bov tart, at the moment of his abdication, was
slicing enough to have caused a civil war in France,
and, therefore, the Allies thought it prudent
lo treat With him, for fear he should light up
a flame which they could not easily extin-
guish. Mr. GRATTAT'S estimate of the Allied
force is somewhat exaggerated ; and even were it cor-
rect, its continuance as a compact and operative
body is verb doubtful, considering the heterogenous
materials of which it is composed. The pains Mr..
Get rears takes to prove the weakness of BONA,. I
PARTE certainly tends to show that it is his interest
to be at peace, and therefore it is not from his sup-
posed power of annoying us, but because we are de-
termined to hire the &mimes instead of BONA•
PAP.TE, that we are going to war. If such is his
weak', .s, as Mr. GRATTAN has represented, sup-
posing that our object had been peace, it would have
been a powerful argument against attacking him,
viz. that at present he cannot be dangerous; and ae
to what may be, lie cannot accumu.ate his means ef
aggression more easily than we can provide ours for
repelling his attack. All their speeches, and all their
arguments, resolve themselves into this---BONAVALTE
is the enemy of England, a policy into which he
was forced by the violent, obstinate, and haughty
measures of Mr. PITT and Lord Gu:evilest.—
Once the enemy of England, say hi) opponents, he
must always be so, and therefore we can never be at
peace with him, note ithstanding the change that has
takeh place in his situation, conduct, and profes-
sions. If, however, he has lost none of that abili-
ty which he formerly possessed, and has gained a
little more prudence, I doubt it will be for us to
repent 'the arguments and the resolutions by
which we hate defied his enmity. Mr. Peusatveg.
speech, tbotegh 'as brilliant as Mr. GRATTAN'S, in
point of language, is more destitute of argument,
and deals only in common place and hackneyed asser-
tions, so often refuted;• that they require not the
labour of a reply—they all apply solely to the
former state of Frauce and of Beespanee. The
policy which Mr. PLUXKLTT recommends, and which
has been so often recommended by the advocates of
war, is so completely hostile to the interests of the
people in ail nations, such a libel upon human na-
ture, and to directly calculated to foster the seeds of
perpetual discord, enmity, and destruction, that I
should apprehend it will not be many years before
the baleful erects of such policy is felt and acknow-
ledged even by Statesmen. Should the present Coa-
litinn fail in its object, it will be many years before
another can be formed on similar principles ; and in
the mesa time the Raters of nations may be taught,
by those whom they are appointed to rule over, a
p licy more wise and humane. As to Lord MILTON,
the Papers bate taken so little notice of his speech,
that it is impossible to make any remarks on it ; but
as to his conduct, I can only impute it to amistaken
view of things, ter his fortune, character, and ex-
pectations place him above all suspicion of acting
from iutereseed motives.

I remain), &c.
W. BURDON.

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