The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-05-21
HOUSE OF LORDS, MARCH %.
ORpERS-iN CnuNclI

oRpEes-IN COUNCIL.
Lord HoLLAEp rose, pnrsuant to his notice,
AMI IN AN eloquent and argumenta,ve speech of
near two hours, entered into fun and conprc
!:cisivc investigationOf the nature aud expedicn-
cyof those Orders atHerting Ia many of the to-
pics, and rccapiu,lasing many of the arguments
urged en- the former discussions. The late Mi
nstrv. he commended, hadd 8 e every thing to CON
ciia:c Anefica and to induce her to resist the c.
nsG'y inl lbs attempts against the trade and com
Inerce OF this country while every fresh act of
has Male st.s present Ministers tended to widen
the breaCh with America. AL! the measures
pursued by himself and his Noble Friend (I.Drd
-N"ck!andl when comforting with the American
commissioners, tended towards the fair adjust
ncnt a. all existing differences upon broad ard
eNtonaive principles for they looked to the ihtc-
SIS, prosperity, aud honour of both countries;
While his Majesty present Ministers, as appear
ed from Their late mission TO that country. had eli
Their neglected or overlooked that in which both
parties serc So nearly and importantly Interested ;
namely, the system OF general block DC adopted
BY Bonapartc, and the late Orders in Council is
sued by the government of this countryt These
Ministers had recently sent Ministcrt to the Uni
te,i States upon special mission, merely to treat
npon the affair oi the Chesapeahc, without any
power to enter into an explanation or adjustment
or these Orders in Council, which now appeared,
from thc evidence sheadv asltluccd at their Lord
ships Bat, to have given rise To- the Nom Impor
tation Act1 and thus Great Rritaiu, which should
be the mediator between the military tlcspotism
OF this Con,iEent of Europe, anttthe independent
States Al the other side of the Atlantic, is made
the aggresSor. The Noble Lords on the other
side contcn'led, that these Orders in Council were
fully justified Ivy the general blockade of Bona
Parte, aiid the Nm.irnportation Act ofthe United
Ststes; but the che WAS ridiculous, and the other
WAS consequence of these very Orders in Coun-
ell: Their Lortshps were we'll aware that long
before these Orders in Council were issued the
rfNtr.r IL. |, =
cTuizcrs we'll understood the nature of these Or
dcrs tor III the Course of ore fortnight, even BE-
fore they We're Issued, not less than rs merchant
vessels belonging to Me subjects of the United
States were seized AMI brought into the several
ports OF this Kingdom, many of which were con-
demncd, and al! detained. And yet, after all this,
ms MaIcstyS Minister'S attempted to talk of their
moderation and forbearancc towards that coun-
try. His Lordship then proceeded to shew the
ruinous effect OF those Orders upon our own ex-
Portasion trade, and particularly! that of wool and
cotton, from whence he commended, that while
they partially affected the trade and manufactures
oil the enemy, they were in point of fact DESTROY
ing own. The effect of those Orders upon
the trade OF our Colonies his I.ortlship instanced
as further proof OF their pcrnicious tendency.
HIS Lordship concluded by moving Ave several
:Ss:;.iit:o;is, islciii;itiifyy III opinion
Lord MrLcRAvE opposed the motion in
speech OF great length. His Lordsliip took
comprehensive leviev ofthe foreign policy 9th
late administration, and maintained with his No
bic Friend earl of Wcstmoreland) that il was
owing to the tol;lness ani sclfishness OF their
measures that we were ut present involved in
hostility with Russia fIerefuted what he called
the ingenious speculitlOns ot the noble mover of
the question, and commended that there was no.
thing in the Orders of Council which would
be considered BY America as fair ground of war
They were acts Of equitable retaliation, extort.
edtiom us by the violence and injustice of France
l',snnYrniei't as war with the United States
might be to us, 1t would be more so to the inha-
hitanis of that country His apprehensions of
the occurrence OF such calamity, he confessed
erc "cs ;i;iss SO strong IS Sc fIoDic isait,riis-
Did not the Noble Barren consider That all the re-
venues ee the United States were derived from
dites upon Importation that there was not a
single Internal tax, but thav he believed of the
Post-Officc. These sources tadiing as they Ger.
tli!:ty would by a continuation of the Embargo
and Non Importation Act, how was tile govern
ment to be supported? Could it be done with
ont the imminent, MY the certain danger of such
aconvuision as might end in the totA destruction
of the Union?
Lord GnESv1LLs considered the course which
Tie debate had taken, as a decisive proof of
convection on the part of Minister'S that their
measures were not 10 be defended. They s!irunk
fom the question; they seemed afraid to enceun-
ter the argument of his Noble Friend Why, if
this were not their feeling, did they introduce
FIRE the House! The noble Baron who had lust
spoken, and the Noble Earl who spoke on the
same side, hardly applied an observation to the
expediency, policy, or justice of the Orders in
COUNCIL but they were not sparing of their at
tacSs upon that conduct which the late Govern
ment had felt it their duty TO hold to such of the
foreign powers as were not then under the con.
trout of France. They endeavored to Justify
their atrocious expedition against Copenhagen,
by the necessity which the refusal of the prece-
ding Administration to afford either military or
pecuniary succours TO Russia. placed them un-
der, OF taking possession of the navy Of Den.
mark. There were only two ways in which this
country could assist Russia either by asubsitiy
or cooperating army. The former she might
have obtained to a certain extent, if she would
have condesccnded to accept it, but VIXEN so e.
normous sum as IA loan of six millions, for tie
repayment OF which this Government was 10 be-
come guarantee, was proposed, he felt that lie
could not, in justice to the already overburthcn-
edpeope of this country, submit to it, That
loan, If 1T had been made on The conditions pro-
posed, would have loaded this country with half
million of additional taxes. AS to Military co.
operation, were late government so inclined,
they had no opportunity Of atiording it, They
were dismissed from oiiic in March, and no OK.
petition could have entered the Baltic until tile
following month. But, in truth, there was no
such disposition in the late Administration For