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crifis, ever to advise any other than a vigorous manly line of conduct, or to recommend, any refource but our own conftancy and perfeverance.It has ever been the opinion, which I have entertained and avowed, that if France remained miftrels of the continent, we could have no fafety. Difunion; mean and fhifting policy, have occafioned all the calamities under which a confiderable part of Europe now groans. Now, however, there is fomething more then mere fymptoms of the return of other fentiments, and the prevalence of other views. This then is not the moment for England to fhew that he is guided only by little felfifh politics. Inftead of refigning Europe to its fate, and abandoning the victims of French domination to their mifery, it ought to be the bufinefs of England to animate their efforts, and contribute to their deliverance. It is rather the duty of the minifters of this country, fupported by king and parliament, to fay that we are ready to take them under our fhield, which is raised for their defence and fecurity; that we are willing to aid them by our counfels, to support them with our refources, to conciliate differences, to allay jealouties, and unite their efforts.

What is the fituation of thofe powers which yet ftand in a trembling, degraded, precarious, exiftence, purchafed by difhonour?Look at thofe who have followed that courfe in which it has been recommended to us to feek our fafety. What impartial man will deny that the comparifon juftifies an honeft pride, that the furvey approves the fyftem on which his majefty's minifters have acted?

We have endeavoured, in a mo

ment of difficulty and danger, to maintain the honour and independence of our country, and to fupport the liberties of Europe, and. the proud fuperiority which we now enjoy, through the national. conftancy, energy, and virtue."

The marquis of Lanfdown obferved, that in what he had faid to night, he had abstained from agitating any topics that did not feem to be immediately connected with the difcuffion before the house.Since, however, the noble lord who had juft fat down, had brought forward old queftions, he would frankly own that, in his opinion, opportunities for concluding a fafe and honourable peace had been loft, and that, for the omiffion, minifters were feverely refponfible. When the noble lord talked fo exultingly of the fchemes entertained for new coalitions, and told us that we were to take the lead in Europe, he thought it a foolish idle plan, which could terminate in nothing but confufion and difafter. He begged their lordships to read the collections, which had recently been published, of the correfpondence of our statelmen fince the revolution, and they would find how much our wifest politicians difapproved of continental connections, the fyftem of fubfidies. In his own time he recollected to have heard lord Grenville's father fearch the English language for epithets, by which to exprefs his difapprobation of fuch views and politics.-The duke of Marlborough, who poffeffed conciliatory talents in as eminent a degree as any man ever did, faid, with that grace which was fo peculiar to him, that it was fome merit to have made eight nations act as one man. But, great as the duke [M 4 ]

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of Marlborough's talents were, he would venture to fay, that were he alive now, it would be, above his talents to form such a confederacy, or to make four nations act as one man as little would the noble lord find it easy to make even four nations act with concert and effect. Now that experiments were to be made, at the expenfe of fo many millions, and of fo many thousand lives, he would fay to the noble lord, you tried one experiment and failed, and we do not choofe that you fhould try it over again. The noble lord has been deceived once, and I am afraid he will be deceived a fecond time. "If, faid the marquis, I have any credit with the country, I ftake it upon this fentiment. For feveral years I oppofed the former attempt to take the lead in continental coalitions, and I now oppose the attempt to renew them."

The queftion being put, the addrefs was carried nemine contradicente.-On the fame day, his majefty's fpeech having been read in the house of commons,

Lord Grenville Levifon Gower, rofe to move an addrefs in reply. The houfe, he faid, would recollect, that his majefty had been induced to make two attempts to negociate with France. It was conceived that a dawn of reafon had at last broke forth in France, and it was hoped that the directory would fee that it was their intereft to make fuch a peace as this country could with honour agree to.The event, however, had fhewn how vain were all thefe expectątions. It was poffible, indeed, for a country to be fo much embarraf fed, as to render it prudent in them to make peace almoft on any terms.

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Great difficulties we had certainy experienced: but we had happily furmounted them. The national credit, which at one time greatly diftreffed, and on the fall of which the enemy had placed their expectations, was confirmed. The fpirit of the country was rouzed, and its ardour feemed to have increased in proportion to the diffi culties it had to combat. British people proceeded in willing concert with the government. In addition to the burthens upon them, they had come forward with voluntary aids to an amount which exceeded the moft fanguine expectations; and, from a people unaccuftomed to arms, they had fuddenly become a nation of foldiers. The French government were intimidated; and all their mighty preparations, for the invafion of this country, terminated in mere gasconnade. The few troops, whom the French government had, by a favourable chance, fucceeded in throwing on the Irish fhore, were foon compelled to furrender to his majefty's forces. This fortunate event was fucceeded by the defeat of the Breft fleet. The Dutch fhips, which had the fame destination, were alfo intercepted; and, in fhort, every armament they had ventured to fea was either captu red or difperfed. From thefe inftances of British valour and difcipline, his lordfhip turned to the glorious firft of Auguft: that fplendid atchievement, which, in its bril liancy and utility, was unequalled in the annals of this or any other nation. That expedition, which had been planned against our East India poffeffions, had been render. ed incapable of hurting them. It was cut off from all communication with

France,

France, and must be left to its own means, as they were at prefent, for no reinforcement could be fent from Egypt. Not only had the deftruction of the French fleet in the bay of Aboukir given fpirit and energy to the Turkish government, but it had infpired all Europe with hope and joy. When the news of that great event reached Raftadt, the deputies of the empire for the first time ventured to refift the ambitious projects of the French plenipotentiaries. It had also encouraged the king of Naples to oppofe the common enemy, and it was to be hoped that the time was not far diftant when he would be capable of cruthing the infant republics, which had been erected in his neighbourhood. It was from the conduct of the French to other powers that we ought to estimate the practicability of negociating in fafety with France. Witness Switzerland, Spain, Auftria, and Italy. When Ruffia and the Ottoman Porte had fo magnanimoufly ftepped forward in the caufe of virtue and focial order, when thofe powers that had, by force or fraud, been fubjected to French domination, manifefted a returning fenfe of indignant pride, and a determination to throw off the galling yoke of republican tyranny, ought that houfe, by talking of an unattain able peace, to chill the ardour and paralyze the efforts of the people of England in the common caufe, and at the fame time to blaft the hopes of every civilized ftate of Europe, whofe fole prospect of relief centered on this country? Lord Levifon did not forget in this animating retrospect to advert to the increafe of our commerce and the flourish ing state of our finances.

Sir H. P. St. John Mildmay,

who feconded the motion for the addrefs, went over the fame ground, with equal eloquence.-Offers of pacification rejected by the enemy; the neceffity we were under of perfuing to a conclufion the advantages we had gained, not only for the fake of our own country alone, but that of all civilized fociety; a progreffive and uninterrupted chain of fplendid fuccefs; Ireland faved; public credit not fubverted, but propped and ftrengthened.

From the mutilated and almoft annihilated ftate of the French marine, many years muft elope before the enemy could again become formidable to this country: by vigour, and perfeverance, therefore, at the prefent moment, we were not only preparing a permanent and fubflantial treaty for ourfelves, but laying the foundations of peace, profperity, and happi nefs, to a generation yet to come.

Sir John Sinclair, who had minutely examined the particulars of the various brilliant actions which decorated the maritime hiftory of this country, declared, that, amongst them all, he did not find one that could ftand a comparison with lord Nelfon's victory: which placed the hero, under whofe banners it was atchieved, and the fleet that had the honour of ferving under him, at the fummit of naval glory. But, by the mifconduct of minifters their laurels had been well nigh blafted. orders for the failing of the fleet had been fhamefully delayed, in confequence of which lord Nelfon had not been able to attack the French armament at Malta: in which cafe, both the fleet and army of Buonaparte muft have furrendered. The British fleet was unaccompanied with frigates, which had rendered it neceflary

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for lord Nelfon to fend home a fifty gun fhip with an account of the engagement, by which we loft the Leander. And, no bomb-veffels having accompanied the fleet, the transports in the harbour of Alexandria had hitherto efcaped deftruction. The next inftance noticed by fir John, on the mifconduct of minifters, with regard to lord Nelfon's fleet, is very important indeed, and fhews to how many accidental circumstances a hero may owe his fame; and a hero too his difgrace. Had it not been for the accidental circumftance, fir John observed, that the l'Orient drew too much water to enter that harbour, the whole French fleet might have been moored there in fafety, and might have defied all our efforts. It was not fufficient that we had gained a fplendid victory, by the fkill and gallantry of our feamen, in fpite of minifterial mifconduct. We ought to know why the expedition of Buonaparte was not totally destroyed? Sir John proceeded to make various remarks on all the other points touched on in the fpeech from the throne, and alfo on feveral other points of which he had expected or wifhed that fome notice had been taken. To detail thofe remarks, or even all the topics to which they refer, would exceed the plan of this concife abridgement of proceedings in parliament. But there is one of thefe that may be mentioned, both on account of its own importance, and the fingularity of the obfervation with which fir John introduced it. The fubject was the evacuation of St. Domingo. It was well known that fir John S. obferved, that, if, at the beginning of the war, we had bent all our exertions against the French Weft India islands, instead of Flanders,

where we had wafted our strength fo fruitlefly, we might have fecured the poffeffion of thofe iflands, and prevented all thofe fcenes of defolation, maffacre, and plunder, which had taken place in that unfortunate quarter of the globe. At last, we did fend fome troops there, and fucceeded in capturing fome of the French poffeffions, but were not fufficiently ftrong either to take the whole of St. Domingo, to retain poffeffion of Guadaloupe, or to prevent fome of our own iflands from being defolated. Amidst all these unfortunate circumflauces it was fome confolation to us that we could retain poffeffion of a part of St. Domingo, by which, we were told, Jamaica was protected from invafion. That fource of confolation however was now over, as St. Domingo was completely evacuated.

This was a fubject which would demand a very serious inquiry.

That houfe, and the nation, ought to know the number of Britifh fubjects that had perifhed in that ill-judged, or ill-conducted enterprife; the amount of the fums of money laid out in attempting to make the acquifition; whether they had been properly expended and regularly accounted for; with other particulars. This fubject, of fo much public importance, faid fir John, "to his utter aftonishment, had been totally overlooked in the fpeech from the throne." We fuppofe that it would have been matter of great aftonishment to most of our readers if the minifter, on fuch an occafion, had poured forth confeffions and lamentations on fo melancholy and mortifying a fubject-ou all the points in the fpeech from the throne; obfervations were alfo made by fir Francis Burdett.

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The country he admitted stood on higher ground than it did a fort time back; and if advantage were taken of this favourable fituation, in conjunction with the reft of Europe, to procure a fafe and honourable peace, then indeed he fhould hail our recent fucceffes as the omens of future happinefs. But if, as the whole tenor of the fpeech from the throne this day gave too much reason to fear, our recent fuccesses were to be made uíe of, only as an inftrument to inftigate the country to a profecution of the war, without a declaration of any diftinct and definite object, he could then regard our naval victories only as the probable forerunners of future misfortunes. The hiftory of all coalitions, formed of great and difcordant interefts, was the fame. If they were not fucefsful in their firft efforts, they rarely, if ever, fucceeded at all. Did any man think that fuccefsful war would be carried on against France, by a coalition of the prefent mutilated powers of Europe, when he had already baffled the most powerful league that was ever formed against any country? And though internal diffentions fhould arife in France, we knew, by experience, how little influence internal difturbances had upon her armies and her external politics. Sir Francis, having come to the concluding part of his majefty's fpeech, faid, that in the laft fentence, and in that alone, he did moft completely agree, that we hould all be firmly determined to repel any attack on our laws and conftitution. Had we firmly repelled the many attacks made on thefe by our prefent minifters, he fhould not now have to complain of many and weighty grievances

on the part of the people of England: innovations in the jurifprudence of the country; the interference of the executive power with the management and treatment of prifoners; baftilles, called houfes of correction, where feverities were exercifed,upon men, not even charged with any crime, fuch as the humane old law of the land does not allow to be inflicted, even upon the greatest criminals; men thrown into prifon on mere fufpicion of crimes, and, after months of folitary confinement, turned naked into the world, their fortunes ruined, their health deftroyed, their wives and families ftarving, or depending for a precarious fubfiftence. on charity: and this was the conduct of a government which we were called on, not barely to fubmit to, but zealoufly and affectionately to fupport. If his majefty, faid fir Francis, was fincere in wifiing to promote that unanimity amongst all ranks of his people, fo defirable at all times, fo peculiarly neceffary at the prefent time, let the people be reftored to their rights and liberties; let the old law of the land be again made the rule of action; let these new prifons, thefe receptacles of mifery, and inftruments of tyrrany, be deftroyed; let a wife fyftem of economy fucceed to the prefent profligate wafte of corrupt expenditure; and let thefe bleffings of liberty be fecured by a full, free, and fair reprefentation of the people in parlia ment. The queftion for the addrefs being put, was carried with only one diffentient voice.

Next day, November twentyfirft, 1798, the thanks of both houfes of parliament were voted, unanimoufly, to lord Nelfon and

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