The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1813-02-02

force. rear, Hf'.f'.
Lord 1Ituon could not avoid making some
observations on that part of the speech
which referred to America. No one coult.
be inscnsble how much the prosperity q.
this country depended on the connection Win
| America, and he rather feared ministers
had unnecessarily plunged the Country in n
war with that nation. In fact, in all the ne
gociations with America, il appeared to him
that there was too much ;rr.t;:iion on both
sides. He was not afraid 20 say, that he
feared that even on the part Of the great
parsonage at the head of our government,
there might be something of an hereditary
irritation against the American people
IF war was necessary, he did not approve
of that mitigated warfare spoken of last
might by right hon. gentleman, but in the
case Of America, he really believed that
there ought to have been no warsar,: at all.
lfr. Stephen said. that, an hon. gentle
man (Mr Whtbread) had pledged himself
to give the house an early opportunity of
discussing the whole of this American ques-
ton, ne should not now trouble the house
at any length on the subject. He could not
avoid, however, when he heard the noble
lord speaking of an hereditary irritation a
gainst America on the part of the head of
our government, expressing his opinion, that
this was almost unmerited censure OIL that
august and venerable parsonage who, for SO
many years, (Lord Milton, across the house.
told hin, it was not to that parsonage he had
alluded and MIR. Stephen apologised for
having misunderstood him.) The words of
the speech were, however, now SO fresh i'm
this recollection of the house, that he tho't
they must evidently see, that there was
eothing of irritation towards America in it,
AS to There having been equal irritation on
both sides, in the negotiations between the
two governments, that he mast absol utely
deny. 1t had Yesterday been objected to
Ministers, that they had not even published
any declaration in answer to the American
declaration of war. He must for himself
declare, that he never felt any irritation "a
gainst America, or any wish to preserve
peace with her although he had felt it his
duty for many years, both with his tongue
and pen, to defend what he conceived the
unbounded maritime rights OF this Country,
and those interests on which he considered
that the prosperity of our commerce, and
the strength four marine mainly depended.
| Where was the Cancellation the part
| of the American government Did gentle
men forget the haunting manner in which
! they received Mr.. Erskine's proposals for
accommodation ; or the manner in which
they had sent Mr.. Jackson out of the coun-
| try Even when that great concession was
made last year which the gentlemen on the
other side had thought would heal all
when the orders in council were repealed
the intelligence of the disposition in this
country to repeal those orders, was met by
the American government by an intempc-
rate, message to the Legislature, laying
down all the principles of the Duke of
Bassano's letter, and even insisting that tie
American flag should make free goods
Now, he would ask the noble lord, was he
prepared to give up what we considered
our maritime rights-the right of bleckad-
ing our enemy's ports, and the right of TAX
| ing British seamen out of American vessels
| If he was not prepared to make those
concessions which the American govern
ment insisted on, how was that government
to have been conciliated : MIR. Stephen
concluded by defending, at some length. the
principles upon which he had always sup
ported the orders in council.
| Lord CastlereoSh said he should for the
| present forbear from all discussion, and he
/ rose to defend ministers from the suppose
ton that they had at any time given an
opinion, that America had right to par
| ticular revocation of the orders in council
| with respect to her, on account of that
French document which pretended to be a
! revocation of the Berlin and Milan DEGREES
| with respect to America.
| Mr.. Canning was not at all DESTROYS to
prolong the debate, but felt it his duty TO
| set himself RICH. against some misconstruc-
| tons of the sentiments he had delivered
on the preceding night. HIS objection to
the IN anaer of carrying on hostilitics against
| America, was not IL reality to the pecu-
| larity of forms, but to the want of Consi
derable portion of our naval and military
| strength on the coast of America, which
might be enabled to effect real services, and
Theoretically seal her ports. Instead of
&ispatching force of that description, Sir
| John Warren's squadron had been actually
made up in the British harbors there and
the only service performed by the ships un-
der his command, was the conveying of
flag of truce TO the executive government
| CT America. When he lad used the
| phrase, that our commerce was swept from
the seas by the Americans, he evidently
could be only understood as meaning, that
when the relative naval means Of the two
countries were compared the captures
made by the Americans were much superb
or to ours, as we had one thousand ships of
war, and they had only ten to contend with
! so vast a superiority on our part. He would
not detain the house in refuting the faliaci-
! Gus estimate of the prosperity o. our COM
| merce. from the returns made Of the cx-
ports of the port of London but he should
persist in repeating what he had maintain
ed last night, that when America charged
this country in formal declaration, with
the commission of acts degrading to its char
acter and honor, the English government
ought most decidedly to have refuted such
charpes nf which n was altopether inca,a