Jenks' Portland gazette. Maine advertiser. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1802-1803, 1803-05-02

preparations making in Great Britain
-Bnt not of An expected change in the
Minifry. The Britih King has recon-
mended, and his Parliament has fpirit-
edly voted The euoy5 and means" there.
for, and bis minilfers are taking meat
ures of precaution for the fafety of the
Engli1l dominions." Thefe meafures
appear 10 be the equipment of an eff
Gent naval force the augmentation
and concentration of the aandsg
troops and placing the militia in ct.
uation TO take the field ;--and they are
profeouted with much fpirit and zppar
ent earneRnefs. A great degree of
nnanimity appears to prevail on the
fubjed. The addreG.s of both Houfes
of Parliament, promiGng the utmoa
iupport to any meafures the King might
adopt, were paGed without debate, and
almof with reclamation. In the Houfe
of Lords, on the nth March, Lord
Minto, though in oppoGtion to the pref
ent cabinet, faid, The circumstances
which had been lately fubmitted TO
the Houfe, could leave no man
in doubt as to the part which he had
to scar. 1t now became, and was
the duty of every man, be his rank,
his fortune, his ability, what they
might, to Hep forward with heart
and hand, and aGure his Mzjefy of
+" every afiiaance in meeting and re.
spelling the threats and INSULTS Of
"that ambitious and reftlefs power with
"whom we were likely foon to be en-.
gagged" On the fame day in the
Commons, MIR. Fox obferved "That
" the Houfe was ardently unanimous
ito fuRain their country's honor and
ito repulfe lssoLESr aggreaion from
" any power, however daring, however
formidable. And the propoGtion
Of Mr. Addington to increafe the mum
Der of feamen, from 10000 to 10000
and TO add z4oo marines, was voted
without oppofition- Thus far things
appear portentious of renewed fate
of warfare between Great Britain and
France.
On the other hand, in the difcufion
which took place on the fubjea of the
marine augmentation, Mr. Addingten
declared, {" though the meafures then
"purfued might appear like precipitan
icy 70 ruth into war, yet they were die.
stated not lefs by as Gncere fpirit as
I" thofe which had efeesed the peace at
Amiens." And Lord Hawkfbury,
who followed him, faid, " though pru.
I" dence dictated the meafures of Ad.
minilfration, he honeitly avowed
"that he was not without hope that
"the dncuf1ions now pending would
terminate aricably." When there.
fore we confder this avowal from one
of the Minifry (; and connect it with
the mild tone of the MeGage, and the
circumlcribed limits of the 4 notes of
preparation )" one would run nc great
hazard in prophecying that lhefc EQUAL
ly appearances" will blow over, as ma
ny others have done before them. We
fee no likelihood of change in Minif
try though no party appears to repofe
confidence in their capacity or magnan
unity. IF they continue at the helm,
the vcGel of tate will not be likely to
navigate any very tempe(tuoug feas -
and though they pipe all bandt, they are
10 the habit Of taking in jail, as the fquall
increafes or Of lying TOO, until it has
blown over.
The Immediate caufe Of the prepare
ton for war was unknown TO any ex
cepting the MiniGry and they appear
ed tenacious of the iecret.-Ir the mef
fage it is faid to be the armarnents col
Letting in the ports Of Holland and
Franee.-Amonga others, enc oaufe
is ffated to be, another letter from
BonaParte in perfon, addrefsd to the
King Of Great Britain, in which he de.
|, clares, "Ihat unleis Malta was given
up. and other points fettled to the fat
isfaaion OF the court of ThuilIeries, be
eOona cone over and ergG (erajfra Bstb
tie Kng and RS Kingdom" This may
be SadiHase but it was given, as We
copy it, in the Morning Chronicle is
alluded to in other papers and may
pofhbly be what Lord Mimic meant
when he fpoks, as above, of injalfs /;
and MIR. Fox when be declared his rea.
dineis to rePulfe iyaIsns. Here We
leavei il.