Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1815-06-16
House of Commons, April a6.

ministers whether war was 10 De iiiaue
upon Napoleon Bonaparte; and that no
neace was to be concluded with him as
iono As he remained in, possession OF the
supreme authority in France.
Lord Castlereagh acknowledged that
the association of the Allies had certain
" been made for the purpose of destroy,
ING the power of Bonaparte; but said
that the treaty was only binding on the
allies so long as they chose to make it so.
Of course they might agree to treat OF
peace, if they should hereafter think it
prudent to do SO.
MIR. Whitbread was not satisfied with
this answer. When the address was
voted. the house was told there was an
alternative of peace, he would ask the
Noble Lord therefore, if there was any
probability of war being avoided
Lord Castlereagh said, he would leave
probabilities to the honorable Gentleman
the parties could release themselves
when they pleased. The engagement
entered into between the allied Powers
might be dissolved but It's object, at
the time it was formed, certainly was to
destroy the power of Bonaparte, and to
make no peace with him.
MIR. Whitbread recollected, that
when the Message had come down from
the House, the noble Lord had spoken
of an alternative tct peace and war, and
Notwithstanding several assertions which
had since found Their way to the public
he had understood, down to the present
moment, that no alternative of peace
with France, in her present state, re-
NAMED. He, therefore, now wanted to
know whether there was a possibility
that the engagement entered into by the
Allies should be broken, and that peace
should be, not made, but maintained
with France in the situation in which she
was now placed.
Lord Castlereagh could only say
that, there was possibility that the en-
gasement might be dissolved. AS to the
probability of such an occurrence, the
hon. gentleman could easily form an
opinion from the appearance of things.
Mr.. Whitbread had rendered his
question as plain as possible, and the
noble Lord as usual had given reply
as equivocal as he possibly could. Those
who thought that no peace could be
made with Bonaparte would interpret
his answer, as stating that war was UNI
ayoidable.-Fhose who inclined to the
other side Of the question, would inter
from it that an alternative still remained.
Ills own Interpretation was, that the Al
lies, when they concluded the trea-
ty, intended to go to war with Bona
parte, and that if they had not vet car
ried that plan into execution, it was in
consequence ofsome other circumstances
which had arisen since, and which the
noble Lord hoped might be got over, that
war should ensue. He wished the
louse to be well informed on his subject
before another Message should come
down, and that the noble Lord should
willingly do that which the house would
De Obliged to do without his assistance.
ii it was not conceived too early, he
would tomorrow, but certainly on some
day OF the present week, take the sense
of Parliament on the most important ques-
ton of peace or war.
Lord Castlereagh assured the hon.
Gentieman that if he wished to take the
sense ofthe House, he had only to make
motion, and that he should be prepared
to meet him.
April 90.
Lord Castlereagh said it was impossi-
Die, he conceived, for any man to con-
cur in MIR. Whitbread's proposed adj
iress. who was not prepared to approve
that nominal peace, which must be at
tended with an expenditure nearly as
great as war. The present circumstan-
ces had character more peculiar than
any thing presented in history, by that
ilagrant breach of treaty which had de,
prived Europe of all the advantages she
expected from the peace which had been
concluded. The return of Bonaparte to
France, in defiance of all engagements,
was an insult as well as an injury to all
parties, and exceeded whatever was
done by preceding governments of
France, however base and degraded
Did any body think that when he again
got at the head of 100000 troops, he
would find any objections or difficulty in
disposing of his present councillors, whe-
fher Fouche or Lucien Bonaparte, if
they opposed his views What did he