The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-06-02
V oLU%E /.

| the naval force of the country extremely infuf-
ficient, and he fhould therefore fit down by3en-'
treating the houic not to be beat out Of the en-
euiry, fit was neceiIary to the welfare of the
country.
Mr.. Sheridan faid, the Right Hon. Gentleman,
had ailerted heartily opinions of certain naval
characters, yet he had rot named one individu-
al by whom fuch opinions had been delivered.
The thing was manifeit that the characters allu-
ded 10 were on iiore, and confcquently unem.
ployed in the defence OF Their country; hence
perhaps might arife that convenient opinion,
that the naval affairs were badly conducted I'M
der the pieient noble lord. Did the Hon. Cen
tleman tuppoie that his iecond kandiplormation,
gathered from thoie who were not fighting the
battles of their country, would have any weight
with the houfe : He truited fhe did he would
be miftaken. With rcfpsct to the noble lord,
Whole conduct had been 70 much canvaiied
that night, he ihould only fay, that he never
ceard one 70 much rsfpe6ted, and 70 abufed
and tufpeGted. 1t fhould be remembered by
the houie, that the noble lord Est. Vincent) was
recommended by the Ex-Minifter, who now
teemed to have loft his confidence in him. IF
10, it was but right the houfe fhould demand
why that confidence had been Withdrawn
The motion was unfuppoited by any Parlia-
mentary documents, and he was at lois to
trace the motive that urged il. He faw no ne
GETTY of increafine the number ofgun-boats al
ready preparing for fervice-( tear! bear! from
Mr.. Pit. The right hon. mover (faid Mr.
Sheridan will hear If he liflens, and hear, too,
fomething about his own gun-boats, The utility
of which, he wiihes TO enforce. The right hcr.
gentleman had 100 built during laf war, GO of
which had been iince fold as coed for nothing
IS were at prefent in the fervice, G fix ere fent
to Guernfey, but were fent back, by captain
DAuvergne, with five other veiIels as wholly
unfit for ufe; yet fuch was the fyu,b the right
hon. gentleman would again recommend. The
boats he alluded to, were like the three Portu-
Sueie men of war lent us by that power, which
were 10 bad that a BIitifh trigate was compef-
ed to fee them fate into an Englilh port. He
would be bound to fay, that ifthe whole French
Hotila was upon the ocean, and a Britiih "a in
fight, tii captain would I1j.tt m noneEr
to dafh through the whole armament from right
to left, and battle with them while he had a
flick itanding or fail fet, in the progreis OF
which, he could well conceive and contemplate
the deitruction fuch vefe would make Mr.
Sheridan next canvafled the reafures of the ra-
w Board, and argued from therce the greatef
merit due to Lord St. Vincent, who he faid,
had tuccefsfully ftruGgled with the fouel cor
ruption that ever difgraced countrv, ard had
removed the filth under which the vileit OF req
tiles had burTowed.-He alluded to his reeuia-
tons in Chatham Chef, and the plumber com
United on the faiIors; alfo to the building ihips
OF war by contract, the impolicy (which he ex-
empliiied by giving the hiftory OF the Ajax and
Achilles. He alto alluded TO Mr.. Pitts f,ifis
for volunteering, and remarked, that If he WIFI
Cd to fee The iiiue fstt!ed On BritiG ground. he
could not promote bis with better than by f,b-
ftltuting eun-boats for the Gli and enterprifc
OF naval officers intheii legitimate and well con-
triYed wooden cafies, which had hitherto hid
defiance to the world. He concluded by faying.
that he fhould oppofe the motion of erouirv,
& that he would not content 20 give fcrap ofr,a
per caiiedfor convinced that the whole tenden-
cy OF the enquiry was directed againf noble
lord, whoie conduit in reforming abufes, and in
preventing mott grofs and corrupt frauds upon
the country, entitled him to the refpeet, admit
ration, and gratitude OF the country.
MIR. Fox ceniursd the conduct of Minihers in
taking only half meafure on this occa6on.
They fhould have refufed or granted the pa.
pers moved for in toto.
MIR. G. Ponionhy frongly commended, that
the enquiry lhou!d be acceded to. He could
not fee that any danger could refult from the
papers moved for; and all that was endured
INTO was the amount of our naval force, not a
itatement Gifts deitination; and the more an
thenticated and public was the former. tbr
greater the terror it would ftrike into the enc.
my; as to the fze and quality of the ihip, he
LIQUID prefer large to finall ones II was yell
known that Ireland was the mott vulnerable
part of the empire, and from final Hips it could
derive no additional protection. The hon. gen.
tle1nan here advertcd to the fate in which Ire
land was left when the French under General
Hoche approached to invade it. The French
feet had remained Il days on the coat, and
not Brltifh ihip was to be feen to defend il.
Yet at that moment ifthe enemy had fucceeded
in landing, il wasthe opinion of the mott expe-
renced officers, that they might have driven
the military force then in Ireland from one end
ofthe Iiland to the other. The cafe was now
very different Not only was there power.
ful feet blockading BRET, but even if the enc
my ihould fucceed in eicaping out of port, there
was another feet on the Irijh coat fully cana
bic to cope with them. Inftead of voting for an
addrefs to his Maiefty to remove the noble lord
from the iituation he now 70 ably fills, he fhould
mot heartily concur in a vote for confirming
him in it by the appreciation of the houfe, and
for the iureft defence and protection of the coun
try.
Some other Members having fpoken n1ortlv.
MIR. Pitt replied, and in the courfe of his OFFER
vations he alluded to the conduct of MIR. Sheri-
dan, in iubitance nearly as follows :---ss A.
mong the many af1aults which have had to re-
pei this evening, was one from very brilliant
iiaih of iightening--a meteor, which for fome
time had moved neither on the one fide nor on
fba D4b gr---a mo .bc(e ~