thought that his majesty's minifters were highly culpable for not having properly applied the large military force that was on foot. No man, he faid, was more ready to join in doing juftice to the extraordinary merits of our fleets, officers, and failors: but he trusted that gallantry and enterprise were not more the characterifiic of our naval officers than of the military to which he belonged; though they had been placed, by the misconduct of minif try, in an invidious fituation. That alone was a fit and neceflary fubject of inquiry, besides a number of other very important events in the management of the war. How came it, his lordship asked, that the war was commenced by this country in a confederacy with all the powers againft France, and that we now found ourselves in the ftrange fituation of having that very confederacy combined with France against us? What was become of Auftria? How came it that Ruffia, our magnanimous ally, was now converted into our inveterate enemy? Lord Holland afferted, that the conduct of miniflers to our different allies had been fuch as neceflarily led to their defection one after another, and was the fo'e caufe of the alarming combination against us.

The amendment was oppofed, and the original motion for the addrefs fupported by the duke of Athol, lord Romney, the earl Spencer, lord Grenville, the earl of Mulgrave, and lord Eldon. Lord Spencer afked if the prefent was the proper time for withdrawing that confidence which had hitherto been repofed in his majefty's mimitters, when the difficulties of their fituation and of the country had increafed? Was the commence

mert of the united parliament the proper moment to choofe for fuch a mealure? What were the motives urged for fo doing? The failure of the haft two years expeditions. He fhould be very happy to meet an inquiry on those heads, if it were not that, at the prefent crifis, it would produce worse effects than could be compensated by any advantage that he could fee likely to be derived from it. As to a difpofition on the part of goverment to peace, he deprecated an inquiry on this point as, in the event of a negotiation, it would be attended with difadvantages, and in the alternative of continuing the war, would produce no beneficial effects. Lord Grenville fated that his majesty, at the conclufion of the laft fethion of parliament, had informed them that an embargo had been laid on the fhips of his fubjects in Ruffia, and his reprefentations on the fubjec had failed of procuring redress. The houfe was not now called on to inquire what was the previous cause of the quarrel between England and Ruflia, because the latter was bound by previous treaty not to act in the manner in which he had acted with relation to British ships and merchandize, even in the event of hoftilities with the two countries. The houfe was called on to fay; whether it would maintain his majefty in his just rights? With refpect to the coalition into which Denmark and Sweden had entered in 1780, the country was at that time in confiderable difficulties. The government of this country profelled a determination to abide by the practice fettled by treaties with these powers: but all difcuffion of the principle of the neutral code was for a time fulpended. It might, per

haps,

haps, be afked, what would be the harm of new acquicicing in the demands of the northern confederacy? The harm would be this, that we fhould again have to difcuts the point at a moment when we might be lefs able to do it with fuc cels than at prefent. The earl of Mulgrave, in reply to lord Moira, fpoke of the opportunities afforded to the army of diftinguishing therutelves in our expeditions to the Weft Indies, and in the Eaft, in the capture of Seringapatam. Lord Lidon, taking a review of the queftion, now agitated by the northern powers combined against this country, fhewed, from the law of nations, that the right of fearching neutral velle's originated in the rights of nature, and that no convention, or treaty, could permanently deftroy that right. The decon that had been given in the cafe of the Swedish convoy, he faid, was founded on the firicteft principles of the Jaw of nations: and Lat decifion, was a decifion, not for this country only, but for all nations in our circumftances. He expatiated on the importance of afferting this right, as the foundation of our commerce, our wealth, and the great bulwark of both our military and naval glory. Such were the principal arguments made ufe of by the 1peakers on the oppofite fide of the queftion. There were two lords, who without fupporting the amendment, or pofitively oppofing the original motion for an addrefs, embraced the prefent opportunity of declaring their fentiments on the prefent critical, ftate of affairs. Thele were the earl of Caernarvon, and the earl of Fife. When lord Caernarvon confidered, that we were become the objects of refent

ment, not indeed juftly fo, of many nations, he thought himself juftified in calling for an inquiry; not with a view to impede the exertions of minifters, but because he faw no reafon for plunging into war with. out inquiry. He underfood that, on former occafions, we had furrendered fome of thofe rights for which we were now contending. He did not pretend to be veried on the fubject: but if we had done fo, it was clear, that what we had said to one favoured nation, was to be confidered as having been faid to every nation; because it fhewed that fuch rights were not necellary to our fafety. He concluded, by giving it as his opinion, that it would be more reasonable in the houfe to negative the addrefs, and to confine itfelf to expreffions of its loyalty, and of its determination to fupport his majefty in the exercife of its rights.-To the obfervation modeftly introduced by the earl of Caernarvon, on rights renounced by special convention not being neceffary to our fafety, and there fore not fuch as to be afferted by war, lord Grenville replied, that he was aftonished at hearing noble lords, fpeaking in oppofition to great legal authority, after avowing their ignorance on the fubject. It was the first time he ever heard it mentioned, that a fpecial agreement with one power was a renunciation of a right as to other powers. Thofe who fuppofed this to be the cafe, might fatisfy themselves by a reference to the inftructions given by the American government to their minifters in France.-The earl of Fife was rather inclined to wish that a motion for inquiry fhould not now be made: but, if it should be brought forward, he muft declare

his opinion in its favour. As the fentiments expreffed on this occafion, by the earl of Fife, were the refult of long, candid, and fenfible obfervation, unwarped by factious prejudices, and unentangled with flourishes of rhetoric, and febtleties of difpute, we fhall present our readers with his lordfhip's speech, fhort and pithy, in his own words. “I have no defire to give offence to his majefty's minifters, nor to pay court to those who oppose them nothing could be more improper at prefent than to debate, whether the war was juft or unjuft, necessary or not neceffary; but I can moft pofitively declare, that no war was ever worfe conducted. My lords, I have read all the hiftory of this country; I have feen and been in timate with all the different parties, from the death of Mr. Pelham to the prefent hour. In this horrid war our blood and treafure have been fpent in the extravagant folly of fecret expeditions; grievous and heavy taxes have been laid on the people, and wafted in expenfive embaffies, and fubfidizing proud, treacherous, and ufclefs foreign princes, who would have acted much better for themselves had you faved your money, and taken no concern with them. I do not condole with you on your prefent unfortunate fituation in having no fuch friends; I only with you had been in that fituation in the begin ning of this war. The noble lord who prefides at the admiralty, in his fpeech, has with ability done juftice to the navy: I fincerely wif our ill-fpent money had been laid out on our fleets.

"All thofe, my lords, that ever heard me speak, or ever read a letter from me on the fubject, will do

me the juftice to fay, that my fenti ments have all along been the fame, and that this has hung upon my mind from the day the frit battalion of the guards firft marched from the parade for Holland. I lament the prefent feareity; but, great as our demerits are, it comes not from the Almighty, but from the effects of this ill-conducted war, which I am ready to prove whenever this queftion is brought forward. What have we gained by our boasted conquefts? If a proper regulation for commerce was made, I with they were all fold, and the money arifing laid out to pay the national debt, and to relieve the nation of thofe oppreffive taxes which bear hard on the rich and poor, on their income, their industry, and, what is worle, their liberty; and till fome of thofe are repealed, this nation cannot be called free."

On a divifion of the house, the amendment was rejected: 17 against 73. The addrefs was then carried, without a divifion. Lord Wallingham was appointed chairman of committees. A new houfe of peers had been built on an enlarged, and otherwife improved, plan. A committee was appointed for the purpofe of athining to the peers, according to their refpective ranks, their feats in the new house.

In the house of commons, on the fame day, February 2, 1801, the addrefs was moved by

O Sir William Watkins Wynne, who following the topics touched on in his majesty's (peech, congratu lated the house on the happy confummation of the union between Great Britain and Ireland, and on the appearance of that happy dif pofition in the people, which was neceflary to give due advantage to

the.

the agency of the measure, and to bring on, with all poffible celerity, the full development of thofe happy confequences, which its authors reafonably expected from it. As to the renewed claim of maritime rights in neutral nations, he faid, as if it were not enough to abandon the common caufe of order, good government, and the balance of Europe, the emperor of Ruffia had, in wanton violation of a clear and folemn treaty, and in contempt of the generally received law of nations, confifcated the property which was confided to the honour and integrity of himself and his fubjects, and had even dared to fend a number of British feamen into confine ment and diftant exile in the remoteft parts of his vaft and half-defolate dominions. By fuch outrages, that houfe, and every individual in thefe united kingdoms, muft be warmly excited to fecond his fovereign, and the executive government of his country, in oppofing, repreffing, avenging, and redreffing, the wrongs which he had inflicted. How much better to meet the open enmity of the other northern powers, than to facrifice, for the fake of their neutrality, acknowledged rights, for the lofs of which, even their clofeft alliance could make no adequate compenfation? The hof tality of the powers of the north, by butting up the ports of the Baltic againft our fhipping, and refufing us farther fupplies of grain from that quarter, had thus, in part, interfered to hinder that diminution of the prices of bread and other provisions, which was actually to have been expected from the wife and beneficent measures of the laft feffion of

VOL. XLIII,

the British parliament, as well as from the uncommon mildness of the present season; yet the distresses of the poor had been confiderably alleviated, and their alleviation had been greatly owing to the benevolent, cautious, and enlightened interpofition of parliament. When he confidered the strength and quantity of our fhipping, the number, hardihood, and loyalty of our feamen, the victories which had perpetually crowned our naval exertions, the ports we pofleffed in all the feas, the union and patriotic ardour of the whole people, the inferiority of the naval force of thofe powers who had leagued against us, the immenfe refources which our trade, manufactures, and agriculture, were ftill fufficient to furnish, and the probable diffenfion and weakness of an ill-alforted alliance, he was confident that the house would be unanimously difpofed to offer their zealous fupport to his majefty's government, in whatever mealures of government fhould be farther neceffary, to bring thefe troubles to a happy termination. His majesty's gracious affurances of his earnest defire to bring about fuch a termination, whenever the temper of the enemy might permit, was entitled to their perfect confidence, and their warmeft thanks. Sir Watkin concluded with a motion for an addrefs fuitable to the speech from the throne. That motion was feconded, and ably fupported, on much the fame grounds, by

to

to the neceffity of fupporting his majefty against the hoftilities of the powers of the north, the ftrength of our navy, the activity of our domeftic industry, and the profperity of

our trade.

Mr. Grey made a diftinction between the differences that had arifen between this country and Sweden and Denmark, and of those that had arifen between this country and Ruflia. Though he could not acquit the emperor of Ruffia of the charges of violence and injuftice, it did not follow that minifters were free from blame. The emperor accufed them of having violated a convention, by which, as a reward for his co-operation against France, he was to have received the ifland of Malta. Did fuch a convention actually exift? The charge, though he was difpofed to believe it to be groundlefs, yet furnished ground of inquiry. He could not help thinking, that, in the confederacy, fome reciprocal ftipulations of mutual benefit might have exifted. As to the nature of the difpute between this country and the other northern powers, Denmark and Sweden, and Pruffia too, though this power was not included in the fpeech from the throne, he not only expreffed his doubts of the juftice of our claim, with respect to neutral veffels, but alfo its importance. With regard to the union with Ireland, his fentiments remained unaltered. He was ftill perfuaded, that the best way of confolidating a fincere and cordial connexion with that country, was an adherence to the principle of the fettlement of 1782. Mr. Grey concluded a long fpeech, in which he went over all, and combated moft of the fentiments expreffed in the addrefs, by moving

an amendment to the fame effect and in the fame words, with that moved by lord Fitzwilliam in the houfe of peers. Mr. Grey's motion was feconded by Mr. Whitbread, and fupported by Dr. Lawrence, Mr. Tierney, and Mr. Sheridan.

In

Dr. Lawrence said, that the prefent queftion was not fo much whether the practice of the belligerent powers to fearch neutral bottoms for enemy's property was founded in right, as whether it was confiftent with found policy in the Britifh government, circumftanced as England was, to infift on the right at this period. He profeffed himfelf decidedly againft the rafinefs of minifters on the prefent occafion — Certainly, if the affairs of the nation could be improved, or the dangers which furrounded it be removed by a fplendid fpeech, Mr. Pitt was completely competent to it. this inftance, however, either he fhould fatisfy the houfe as to the neceffity of increafing their dangers, or the houfe fhould refufe to fanction his proceedings. It was the policy of the military defpot, who now wielded the power of France, to conciliate the northern powers. Should this confederation be driven to unite with him, how dangerous would the ftate of this country become! "Let us forbear for the prefent. In other times, lefs critical, forbearance has been the policy. It was the policy of the magnanimous queen Elizabeth, who claimed and exercifed the right of fearching neutral vellels, of Charles II. and of the adminiftration of 1780. The northern powers deny that there is any thing in the convention, re cently figned at Petersburgh, contrary to exifting treaties with Eng

land.