The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-04-10
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF ooorMoNs-IhGrsday, FEB. Is.
AMERICA. -

be iildu,Scsl in express sing his regret, that, in
calling their attention to d case oi such vital
importance as the relations between this
Country and America, he should have the
misfortune to address House so thinly at
tended (therc did rot appear to be more
than so or 20 members present, when the
honorable gentleman began to speak) but,
whatever others might think OF the subject 1t
was one to which ne was inclined to attach
the greatest consequence. Considering it iii
this light, and calling, as it was his intent-
on to do, merely for Information, he had
thought that no time ought TO be lost, and
that he ought to suffer no day to intervene,
Oh which the business before the house per-
united him, without bringing it under their
attention. OF that attention, he needed not
impress upon them, it was deeply deserv-
Ing: and he trusted that, by their assent to
his concluding proposition, they would evince
their sense of the necessity of information, as
full and complete as the nature of the cir
cumstances would permit. 1t was a matter
ofno particular description. All agreed in
the confession, that a war with America was
to be deprecated, and all agreed in confess
mig that tins event was but too probable.
The British government, and the govern
mcnt OF America, gentlemen well knew,
had each, since the very beginning Of the
commercial and political discussions which
had arisen between them, professed the
most amicable and Conciliatory dispositions.
And yet it was strange, with all this pro-
fessed friendly disposition OH the part of G..
Britain towards> America, and with all this
protested friendly disposition on the part of
America towards Great Britain, the breach
between the two countries had been widen
ed, till they now saw, from the nature of the
Presidents speech Oh the opening of Con-
gress, that war must infallibly be the conse-
qucnce of Britan,persevering in that system
to which she had adhered tor the last Ave
years. To this point they had now come, &
the case between the governments OF Britain
and America was completely before the
whole world, save and except the British
Parliament In America It was distinctly
known by all men, how the question stood be-
tween that country and France, and be-
tween that country and Great Britain. liz
France it was equally well known how at
fa;rs,were situated between that empire and
America, and between America and Brit
ain, and every person who chose to read
newspaper OF the subject, might possess
themselves of equal information Now, then,
he would be glad TO know, why this informa-
ton, so universally notorious, should be de-
MED to the British House of Commons AT
the close of their last session, he had asked
for a part Of it, but the communication was
then, as ne understood it was now meant to
be, refused to him. Motions for papers
were not unfrequent in the House, and not to
trouble them with many instances, he might
say they were common on occasions when
miniaters were suspected of having erronc-
ously carried on negotiations, OF acted i'm
prnIently in other respects. Such was the
case OF the Walcheren expedition the con-
duct of the Peninsular war, and the Danish
seizure. These motions were sometimes
granted, q at other times denied but when
the latter Was resorted 10, the refusal was
Justified on the grounds that if the papers
were produced, secrets might be discovered
injurious to the public interest that the go
verpments with which we were negotiating
had AN extreme dislike to these disclosures /;
that they had impedcd, or would impede,
negotiations, & anumber of other and SINH
lar pleas. But i'll the present instance,
there were no such pleas to urge. He ask
ed for nothing more than was contained in
the TWO books now in his hands, printed by
order Of the American Congress. These
were all he required, that he might have
them officially before him and the House for
their consideration. 1t was true, he could
not, at present, refer to them as Parliament
airy documents, but, he would say, he saw
liz these papers great reasons to blame the
persons engaged In carrying on the negocia-
tons with America. Feeling this, it was
impossible tobe satisfied with the situation in
which they were placed debarred, as a
House, being in that character ignorant of
the facts, from charging those with miscon-
duct to whom in his opinion, misconduct
was so justly imputablc. The right honora-
bic gentleman opposite (the Chancellor of
the Exchcquer) had declared to them, that
he would counsel this country to bear with
more from America than from any other
state. Then it followed, if he N,as right in
this opinion, that they ought also to have
been more strictly o6Servant of punctilious
dccorun and respect towards America than
towards any of the old powers of Europe
But he was sorry to say, SO far from this
having been the case, 1t would be shewn by
the papers, for which he shG,ild rlove, if pro
duced, that thc greatest inattention had
been displayed towards the American Min
listers so great indeed, to amount to di.
pomatic inciviiity to those employed in thil
country, and to the most demonstrating spi
Tit towards chose in America, with whom
communications were carried since tht
time OF MIR. Erskne. He understood his mo
ton was to be refused, and nc was the more
surprised at this, as the right honorable gen
tleman (Mr. PerceyaD and another righ
honorable gentleman, then in his majesty
service mir. Canniug) who was not much u
the habit Of paying great regard to his (AIr
Whitbreaps) requests, at the period Of tn,
PRONUNCIATION of the celebrated, thefamOus
famous in either sense, orders III council
had never denied the productions Of paper
that had Teen printed. Sucll denial he coult
lock at in mn other licrht than "a iueulF N fl,