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view of the public, under the fanction of the noble earl's name, had, speaking of the people of this country, made ufe of the expreffion, that they ought to be fairly reprefented in that which is, by its very name, their house of parliament.

He conceived it to be the KING's parliament, and not the parliament of the people; and was furprised that the noble earl had, in the courfe of the fecond feffion he had ever fat in parliament, brought forward fuch a motion.

The marquis of Townsend co-incided with the reverend prelate as to the fketches which were daily made in the news-papers, and which he allowed were remarkable for conveying the moft barefaced falfehoods. He profeffed himself to be a friend to the liberty of the prefs; but thefe abuses ought to be, if poffible, prevented. At the fame time he could not agree," that the parliament was the KING's parliament, and not the parliament of the people." He had derived his feat from a long line of ancestors, and had always been taught to believe that it was the parliament of the nation,

of which the king formed only a component, though certainly the higheft, part. His lordship faid a few words of a conciliatory nature, refpecting the motion.

The bishop of Rochefter faid it was not his with to argue the point with the marquis upon the nature and conftitution of the parliament, but he could not recede from his opinion: the parliament "was convened at the will and pleasure of the king; it was prorogued at his will; and it was diffolved when, and fo often, as he thought proper." Could any thing be more convincing that it was the King's parliament? As to the motion now before the house, the only reason that he did not move their lordships against the printer of this infamous libel was, because he had reafon to think that perfons of much higher rank and confequence (looking at lord Oxford) would be found to be implicated in the charge. The house was cleared, but no divifion took place; the earl of Oxford ftanding alone*.

A further attempt was made on the 10th of April by Mr. Pollen in the house of commons. After regretting

* ADDRESS TO THE NATION.

Portman-fquart, March 1, 1797. IT was my intention to have entered my proteft on the journals of the houfe of lords the day after I moved my addrefs to his majefty for peace, and for that purpose I went to the clerk's office, and to my utter furprise I found that my addrefs had never been entered upon the journals. Upon inquiry I was informed that lord Kenyon had taken it home with him. I with at all events that the public should be in poffeffion of my proteft, and I hereby pledge myfelf to my country and to the house of lords, that I will this day, in my place, in that houfe, demand the fullest reparation for this infult, offered through one to the whole houfe, in this illegal and unprecedented manner.

PROTEST.

Diffentient, firft, Because seeing no means of falvation for this country but by an immediate, fincere, and lafting peace, I think the addrefs, which I moved, March 23, 1797, calculated to produce that happy event, and that a refufal to carry that addrefs to the throne, tends to a continuation of this cruel war, which I hold to be certain and inevita

ble ruin.

Secondly, Because a fecretary of ftate's moving, that an addrefs to his majesty on the 50th of December, 1796, should be read, is a poor, weak, and rude manner (to fay no worfe of it) of anfwering the arguments advanced in my addrefs.

Thirdly, Because I believe that the arguments advanced by me have never before Beep touched upon, even in debates, and no attempts having been made to answer those arguments, the conclufion which the public must draw from it is, that they are perfectly Banfwerable.

Fourthly,

gretting that the good of the public was fo frequently facrificed to the illiberality of party-fpirit, by the purpofes of felf-intereft, by thofe whofe abilities were fplendid, he proceeded to ftate the fituation of the country, and thought, that, at the prefent crifis, every hand ought to be active in its fervice, and every heart anxious for its welfare.

Having commenced the war in concert with feveral of the moft powerful nations in Europe, we were deferted almoft by all our for mer friends, and had to contend againft fome who had been our allies; inftead of carrying our arms to the enemy's door, we were in daily terror of an hoftile invafion: instead of calculating upon the ruin of our adverfaries' finances, we were to attend to the reftoration of our own credit, and the prefervation of our own independence. He was convinced that the people of France were as earnest in their wishes for

peace as thofe of Great-Britain. It might be afked, if they were fo defirous of it, why they did not carry their complaints to the bar of the directory, and demand redrefs? To this he would reply, that they were taught to confider the ambition of England as the fole caufe of the war; and that to her thirft of aggrandifement the happiness of Europe was facrificed: and would a British houfe of commons permit that England fhould be branded as the interefted author of all the calamities abroad in the world? England! the bright example of regular government, and falutary regulations! But not only her cha racter, but her interefts were at ftake. Public credit was shaken to its very centre, and only peace could reftore it. It had been faid, that the French nation was not fufficiently tranquillifed, nor their government poffeffed of ftability enough to enfure a permanent

Fourthly, Because it was my fincere with that the eyes of his majefty fhould be opened to the dangers with which he is furrounded, and that giving peace to his exhaufted fubjects, and reftoring to them their rights, should be his own gracious act.

Fifthly, Because I have the highest authority for every sentiment respecting the " ecoRomy and reform of abuses” which I recommended, namely, his majefty's own words, in that most excellent and patriotic speech made at the clofe of the American war, and which I quoted in my reply.

Sixthly, Because whenever a nation is in the fituation we are in at prefent, it requires the united energy and public spirit of the whole nation to re-establish its credit, and I am perfuaded that energy and public fpirit are only to be obtained by the public pof fefling their ancient free conftitution, which they so justly revere; and I maintain that according to common law, which is common fenfe, and according to "the true fpirit of the conftitution," which is founded in wisdom, liberty, and juftice, the people of Great Britain have a right, and ought, to be fairly and equally reprefented in that which, by its very name, is their houfe of parliament.

Seventhly, Because I hold the Borough fyftem, and every other fyftem of corruption that has of late years crept into practice, to be directly contrary to the true fpirit of the conditution, and big with the most alarming evils to king and people; and that to confer the honour of peerage on men who have no other merit than that of commanding boroughs, and performing minifterial jobs, degrades that high dignity, and takes away one of the greatest motives that actuate the human mind, the hope of reward, by making it unworthy the acceptance of those men for whom it was intended; men who have rendered great and diftinguished fervices to their country by their valour, their talents, or their learning.

Eighthly, Because I am defirous of making this avowal of my principles, which nothing on earth thall make me alter, and which I have learnt from the acts and writings of our ancellors, who loved liberty, and understood it.

Ninthly, Becaufe I am refolved, whenever I fee danger, boldly and independently, to the fall extent of my ability, to difcharge my duty to my king and country.

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OXFORD and MORTIMER.'

peace:

peace: but his majefty had declared it to be capable of maintaining the relations of amity: and if any doubted it, he would ask if they wished to continue the contest till the French government was completely confolidated, or till a fyftem was eftablished on its overthrow? Mr. Pollen then advised gentlemen to read the debates in the council of five hundred, and to learn moderation from the fpeeches of Dumas and Dumolard. He referred to the meffage fent to the directory, demanding of that body an explanation of what they called an incendiary debarkation of prifoners upon our coafts: a meafure which they reprobated as inconfiftent with the laws of war. And if these were the fentiments of juftice by which a French affembly was guided, would the houfe of commons of Great-Britain be lefs inclined to the exercife of thefe difpofitions? He trufted that they would not. It might (he faid) be remarked, that he was one of those who voted for the addrefs to the king, on the failure of the late negotiation; and that his prefent motion implied an inconfiftency of conduct.

But at that time he acknowledged that he had placed unreferved confidence in minifters, because he thought they deferved it; but the face of things was widely different now the bank of England had not then stopped payment! and in this fhort fentence was concluded a vaft mafs of calamity. But when the credit of the country was gone, and when he thought of his brethren, finking in the putrid urns of Western peftilence, there was no wonder he fhould with for a termination of a fyftem from whence thefe evils flowed.

Mr. Pollen proceeded to read an abftract from a paper contained in the Rédacteur of the 24th of December last, which he confidered as the

official fentiments of the directory on the late negotiation.

Taken from the Rédacteur three days after Lord Malmesbury's departure from Paris.

The directory pofitively afferts, that the war on their part has been a defenfive, and not an offenfive one; and that peace is the only object of their wishes.

In enumerating the ftrong reafons they had for fufpecting the fincerity of the miffion, they particularly mentioned, that lord Malmesbury propofed a vague principle of com penfation, without any articles of reciprocal reftitution, whilft their Specific demands he only answered by evation. They referred to the delays of meffengers, and a private secretary fent to London; the want of fignature to two memorials fent in by his lordship; and when the ultimatum was demanded peremptorily, what did it contain?'

Ift. Reftitution to the emperor of all his territories as before the war, confequently Belgium.

2dly. The total annihilation of every treaty made by France with the princes of the German empire, as being fundamentally inadmiflible, and contrary to the jus publicum imperii.

3dly. The complete evacuation of Italy, including Savoy and Nice.

4thly. A refervation in favour of Ruffia, by which that court may interfere, at its pleafure, as a contracting party for the peace.

5thly. The fame to Portugal, by which France is to be precluded from demanding a fum of money as the price of peace from that court.

6thly. Great Britain contests the validity of the ceffion by Spain to the Republic of the Spanish part of Domingo, as contrary to the peace of Utrecht.

7thly. The reftitution of the property of the emigrants forfeited or fold is indirectly demanded, though in terms fo ambiguous, as to leave matter for endlefs difcuffion.

The fecond memorial. For Holland, the British minifter demands a restoration of its antient form of government, the annihilation of treaties between France and the Batavian republic, and laftly, the restoration of the Stadtbolder. And what did England offer as the price of thefe conceffions? A partial reftitution of the Dutch colonies, referving to herself the Cape of Good Hope and Ceylon. Finally, if France would not annul her treaties with the Batavian republic, fhe was to make over to the emperor all that Holland had ceded to France in the late treaty between the two countries.

After reading the paper, Mr. Pollen obferved, that its allegations were either founded upon fact, or they were not; if they were, the negotiation ought to be refumed on fair and candid principles; if they were not, the best mode of difplaying the juftice of the English government, would be to publish a counter-declaration, ftating the grounds on which the war was carried on. He called on one fide of the house, to how to the public that it was not oppofition to the minifter, but the intereft of the nation, which they ftudied; and to the other, not to defend the minifter but their country; and on both, to co-operate in delivering it from its prefent difficulties. He coneluded with moving an addrefs to his majefty, reprefenting that his faithful commons were of opinion, that his late benign endeavours to retore peace had failed of their ef fect, either from misconception of the French government, or from the terms being ill explained to

them: and, therefore, they befought him to adopt fuch measures as might tend to vindicate the fincerity of his majefty's defire for the reeftablishment of peace in the eyes of Europe. The motion was feconded by fir John Macpherson, and oppofed by major Elford.

Mr. chancellor Pitt faid, that when he obferved the terms of the motion itself, and compared them with the fituation of the country at the moment when it was brought forward, it was only neceffary for him to show that no practical benefit could arife from it, or from the arguments by which it was fupported. Every evil of war was, or ought to be, viewed on the comparifon of alternatives, and the wifeft mode of preventing an accumulation of them, would be by inveftigating their caufes, and enquiring whether the immediate evil was preferable to the more remote, and whether the prefent danger would obviate a feverer calamity in future. Without fuch comparifon, fruitless lamentations over the diftreffes incident to such a state were enough to over-rule any exertions of any country, however juftifiable and neceffary its exertions might be.

He begged leave to tell the honourable gentleman that a peace did not depend upon the earnestnefs of his defires for it, nor upon the declarations of the house, which were more likely to fruftrate than accelerate this object; but it depended upon the operations of the executive government, the difpofition of the enemy, and the pofture of affairs. By the quotations from the Rédacteur, he had mifreprefented the whole proceedings of the negotiation; for by pafling over fome circumftances, and perverting others, he had inferred that the directory were confcious, if they published that declaration as the G 3

true

true ftate of the cafe, the minifters of this country could not afterwards appeal to the judgment of their countrymen.

That the directory had mifreprefented the intentions and terms of this country was evident; and after treating the overtures as they did, it would furely be a fingular ground for parliament to form any proceedings upon, and expofe the nation to a fresh infult. But above all, to refute a declaration which had no authority to prove it official, by a manifefto, would be moft abfurd, and would encourage the enemy to defeat our measures for reftoring tranquillity.

Mr. Pitt affirmed that no opportunities had been omitted, and the beft modes had been adopted, unfuccefsful as they had been, for this purpofe; and ended with informing the houfe, that in confequence of dispatches received from Vienna (which brought advice that the enemy had made overtures for a separate peace with his imperial majefty, which he had rejected, because he would not enter into any negotiation without Great Britain), his majefty would fend a confidential perfon to Vienna, with inftructions to conduct negotiations in concert with his allies. After having faid fo much, Mr. Pitt thought the honourable gentleman fhould withdraw his motion, rather than perfevere in a measure which would tend to defeat the end it proposed.

Colonel Porter difavowed all confidence in minifters; Mr. Pitt had come down to the house defcribing the flourishing state of the finances, and in a few weeks we were found to be in a fituation little fhort of bankruptcy. He diftrufted their fincerity in any negotiation which they might undertake, and confidered the prefent as a bugbear to delude the public; at all events the

motion could do no harm, and fhould have his fupport.

Mr. Addington had flattered himfelf, that after what had paffed during the debate, the motion would have been withdrawn; but as that had not been the cafe, he fhould make fome obfervations. The motion had been founded upon the statements of a French paper, whether with, or without the authority of the directory was not known: the two grounds contained in that paper, were the origin of the war which was attributed to the British miniftry, and the infincerity of the British government in its overtures for peace.

In the year 1792, Mr. Addington faid, this country enjoyed a fate of profperity almost unrivalled, our commerce and our manufactures flourifhed, and there could be no doubt that no man could be more interefted for the prefervation of peace than the chancellor of the exchequer, because its interruption muft tend to fruftrate thofe financial arrangements in which he was fo fucceffully employed. The unwillingnefs of minifters to interfere in the conteft was incontrovertibly manifefted, in the month of May in that year, by their making a material reduction in the naval and military establishments.

Some important events which then happened, could not but make a ftrong impreffion upon the government; the defeat of the Pruffian army, and the events of the 10th of Auguft, were not fufficient to induce minifters to alter their fyftem; but after the battle of Je mappe, when the empire was threatened, and after the decree relative to the Scheldt, they could no longer confider themfelves as indiffer ent fpectators, but began to prepare for what might happen. The convention, placing confidence in

the

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