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

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.htr nun( ly.pryvb, tisat accounts 'were
Orinieur. rota ilihieh 'were- known sot to-be In exist.
" therefore if 4et us. argument &Oast the
lientent motion to ix,' that was doubtful whether
the paPer•catiedfc.•..txisted Or not. But he would
ask, wit there a Mau in thit.ilnide who doubted
the existence of the paper In. question? Did any
tionourable.Gentleman affirm that it did not exist?
Did his Right Honourable Friend (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer) fora moment contend, that there
was out such paper ? He thought that fur these rea-
sons the House must accede to the motion.
Mr: CANNING said, that he begged the can.
did atteption of the House, while he stated to them
frankly thereasons that inftuenced him to give the
vote he intended to give upon the question now be.
fore them. Perhaps the shortest, the simplest,
and the fairest course would be for him to state,
that he was long of opinion that the more forts.
nate mode of proceeding would have been in the
first instance to have referred the whole question
of the conduct of that Expedition to a Court of
Inquiry—not that the decision of that Court was
neeesvarily in any degree to bind the judgment 1
or fetter the subsequent proceedings of that
House. Butt upon the first return of the per-
sons commanding in that Expedition Grier its
failure, he had been anxious to see the nar-
ratives of-those who held the command of either
services, the Army and the Navy. He -could
_refer to persons who then heard him, and who.
could bear w-grielfi that -such wrt-itieswialt.aod.

pectati'on ; but at that time it was generally un-
derstood; that there were no such narratives in
existences at 'gait if there had been any suspi.
chins that Aire were such narratives, which bad
been foiWaided to his Majesty, through 'the due
and customary channel of one of the State Secre-
tariet, all..kaeli suspicions most, have vanished,
when in the papers laid upon the table of the
House, by his Majesty's command, 110 such docu.
omits were to tic found. But how did the case
now stand? It carne out that there were such
papers, or at least such a paper did exist,and such
a paper certainly Was not. to be 'found in the do 7
elements first laid upon the table of. that House.
[Mar, hear!] Then it was for the House to
consider in what situation they were placed.—
They had determined to enter upon inquiry of the'
gravest and the most important nature ; and in
the course of prosecuting that inquiry, they
bare heard of something th a fias excited in thely
minds a strong suspicion of the existence of
deuce that, if corm at, might materially lid them.
iii their progress. Nom, it was. nit a sufficient
objection to the proposition so put, to say that it
was merely conditional ; for lie thought that, di
motion would have gained it great object In'
Other case ; if there was such a paper it ought.tei
be asked for ; if there was not, BO asking frkt.
it would .ascertitin, that it did. -nag exist.
and therefore it (Sight to- be asked _(ur at elk

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As 40 center iirfibe.ptaetett peaces. An
410M11161114, 114940410.44,:1111164bi5t. bud and,
ti be theight the pipe was lateritiesseor,2ho
*add vote for its yrodettiosi. This was neat
atilt! 400.6111411... .This misgiving more than iii
his Judgment it was fair to take; for were he a
Minister, and that hp knew of the eiistence.Of such
a papir, aid that kaciiin.g its. eiistence, he seas.
of course aware of its contents, he could not sax;
but that there mix& he_ itt those contents, the
which, Wouldieduce hire to hesitate in egreeieg
the prodectioe ,of such a paper. Besides, hit
thought that the converse of that statemeol,
would have been better jadged ; and that to rota •
for the motion because he believed there was no
such-paper; would be a faii means of bringing the
matter to a decisive test. If the motion was agreed
to, and that they sot the return of nil, it would
be a satisfactory return; Yet
,no one could say,
that the motion was unnecessarily made,, because .
there prevailed a general suspicion that there did
exist such a paper, and .that tt contained matter;,
he believed, in his conscience, to be much exig,
Berated and greatly misconceived. He conclude*
by again exPreasieg his diaatiprobation of the itC \-
regular, and, he thought, unconstitutiooal
of giving in papers of that descriptien,a,s be coal
ceived that the usual organs would have been More.
preferable. lie purposely, declined' Saying ally
thing in allusion to the tiling appeal so feelingly'
made by an houourable and galtdatjafceir.
The SOLICITOR-GgNEntl:a, li satisfied of
the propriety of opposing the motion,.. upon the
very same principles which bad Oben stated by
.fili4ht Hon. Friend. for suppciOilig ;ilia,. he
utatetilliea;Ttitt • rtrertriPstrapetistiategy-irbatelek-....,
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between the two cases quotectll•ida Right lionr •
Friend. For, in the one case, therpaptie. eras is -
existence, and referred to theitkpeditiosili.i4 •
Scheldt ; but in the other case, in that tq,,Kbihis motion alluded, it • did not. appear Htet;.,theri,
was any paper whatever—indeed it was
alleged that there was us such paper. iii. spy of tk
Ministerial Offices. Suppose the eareatiii of 1.0
Chatham was, kept imekby Ministers; supposeAt
were a paper _which they did not dirtsige„,,w)
would the House think or them ? C./.4114r014:te •
On the .conttary, they foiled this' ,itaper,", AZ
his Bight ILK. Fri m! peodeeed4t like an bo
man. But *oat was. his Right_ Honourable" •
to do in. pursuance of thi4 motion.? IYett . • s •
mended that he-should go ititoilhe liteeiMpree
lairs to.search for any eommutrjeatious,tlllo..ll#
tie found there with respect to the Schehtt? .-
it to be contegded that if kpii*ate let er apont- • .
public subject. were addressed to the4ineresX%
that letter was to be ishi before the riesiie,:
had any allusion to the matterof this metiden,?,:...
that all papers found, there .cidut cungoe k;go...r4s
should be
,breivgbtfoiwird, tO pnipicity, without
any other -reistist-io suspect thatkafiy papers wme
aCtuallY there4elatiog bett -Whie;
some thiiisght kopet to eet*idgeant,:.
Alle-cisefriste pretvnlcd by L0ett..91ka.410.04t,...i •
wnrreurato \IAII/4
ttikid..ritsOoo;io:..l34
diquiter; • It -
mbikig..e. pop
hoald.
le I:earned
most Ai(
tlentao, 'hi

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146°
inns crew ms. But if eit. .ft paper did egisti and (1.
njis. that the . House should dctermiee not 46- jean the di
~ for that paper, they _would k iosilttunpr4.oated. ..satnel
ilud. 1 situation ; they would be pursuing an 441141, and had li
'hey, at the; sanietinNrefusing to call forts t Uri), kne* ,to the
heat not but might prore.themost imp lent document
the r
OW 4/4"ii. - 4.41.-•4.•• • • jg . befor -Gent
pot, them:— Lord Chatham— ' • 01 hi) ifolTd
et Lrtederstuod tu......i.p01.: with,al Ouse sentitnee* the L
le-rit l a personal and regard that were dee -tri 11,1* 4
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