"2. That his Majefty's Minifters have not fince the treaty of peace to the time of itfuing his Majefty's declaration, neither communicated to Parliament the real fenfe which they entertained of the fyftem of conduct purfued by France, nor the fteps taken by his Majesty's Government thereupon; and that they have thereby prevented this Houfe from having the opportunity of properly difcharging its real functions; and that by their having thus improperly withheld fuch communications, they have materially embarraffed the commerce of the country, deceived the expectations, and depreffed the spirit of the people.

3. That it was the duty of his Majefty's Minifters to embrace fome more early opportunity of obtaining, reparation for this country for the infults which had been offered to it by the continued aggreffions on the part of France, and that fuch reparation was to be procured by dignified and temperate remonftrances; and that if fuch conduct had been pursued more feafonably, this country might have avoided the neceffity of going to war, even before his Majefty, by the reduction of his forces, had in a manner put out of his hands the most effential means of procuring reparation after the failure. of all others; and that such a conduct, on the part of Minifters, was a manifeft neglect and omiflion highly injurious to the public intereft."

"I beg leave, Sir, to ftate here, that I fhall move the two first refolutions, and then wait the pleafure of the Houfe, which, if favourable, I fhall follow by two more, and conclude with a fifth,

4. That it appears to this Houfe, that upon the 4th day of October laft, counter orders were iffued by his Majefty's Government for the evacuation of the Cape of Good Hope, and that on the 16th of November, the.fpirit of France had been manifefted by aggreffion, violence, and infults, for which no redrefs had been attempted to be obtained; that the Spanish and other priories had been withdrawn from the Order of Malta, and that Parma and Placentia had been added to the dominion of the French Republic; Switzerland had been attached, and the territory of the Batavian Republic occupied by armies of the French Government; that the First Conful of France at the fame time entertained all his plans relative to the Turkish empire, which appear from the papers before the Houfe: and from all these circumftances it is evident, that by the evacuation of the Cape, during fuch tranfactions, his Majefty's Minifters have acted

contrary

contrary to their duty, and have imprudently exposed to dans ger his Majefty's Government.

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5. That by all thefe inftances of misconduct in the prefent Minifters of his Majefty's Government, they have proved themselves unworthy of the confidence repofed in them, in fuch an important crifis as the prefent undoubtedly is.”

The first refolution was feconded by Mr. T. Grenville, and read from the chair.

When the first refolution was put, Colonel Graham wished to be allowed to fay a few words, which he fhould have done before the hon. Gentleman had made his motion, but he was not in the Houfe; he thould have no other opportunity, as this was the last time he should be in the Houfe. The circumftance which he had to difclofe was fuch as he was convinced would induce the Houfe to give it attention; and as it related to Malta, of courfe, in fome manner, it came within the view of this debate. About two hours before he came down, General Pigot called upon him with Cobbett's paper, which purported to contain the fame papers moved for by an hon. Gentleman the preceding day; but when he had read it to the Houfe, he rather fuppofed they would not confider it as an official document, and he was particularly requested to fay, from General Pigot, that the paper contained the moft grofs mifreprefentations and charges against his character. The hon. Gentleman then read an extract from the paper, which afferted, that General Pigot had allowed the French garrifon to capitulate, and take away all their effects, to the injury of his Majefty's fervice; and that this capitulation had been acceded to by the British General, on their offer to return all the money, under the name of forced taxes. This affertion Colonel Graham denied in the moft pofitive terms, not a fyallable of it was true, no fuch offer had been made or acceded to; all the transactions took place when Bonaparte was at Malta. He had received orders from General Pigot, to agree with Captain Martin of the navy, in making the moft liberal terms for the evacuation. General Gascoyne here called the hon. Gentleman to order, not being entitled to argue from newfpaper reports. Houfe, however, defired the hon. Gentleman to proceed. Colonel Graham again threw himfelf upon the indulgence of the House, and there being a loud cry of "Go on," he proceeded. It was ftated, he said, in the publication to which he had alluded, that the British General, though very

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well acquainted with the fcarcity of provifions in the town, had yet allowed the French troops to take away provifions, in confequence of which they again plundered the inhabitants. This statement, he said, was fo far true, that there was a very fmall quantity of wheat in the garrifon, and as it was poffible that in the courfe of a fingle night thips might land wheat there, though, at the fame time, he did not mean to throw the flightest blame upon thofe who conducted the blockade, with refpect to which it was admitted by the French, that they thought it impoffible that a blockade could be fo well -kept up, yet in confequence of these circumstances, Captain Markham and himself thought it neceffary to conclude the capitulation as foon as poffible. It was true that the garrison had only 24 hours provifions. There was one article in the capitulation by which the French were allowed to carry away their effects, but the French Admiral and General both pledged their honour that the troops should carry away nothing but their private property. As to any plunder before Captain Markham and himself arrived in the island, they knew nothing of it.

Mr. Canning fpoke to order; he thought it was hardly fair that when an hon. Gentleman had just made a motion, that the attention of the House should be diverted from it in the manner in which it had been. The hon. Gentleman's (Col. Graham's) obfervations would have come better when the fubject of Malta was mentioned, which had not been the cafe at prefent.

The Speaker obferved, that it certainly was not in the scope of the question, but the Houfe had permitted the gallant Officer to frate the circumftance, and therefore he was entitled to the indulgence.

Colonel Graham then fhortly obferved, that he had done no more than his duty in ftating the fact for the confideration of the House, in order to do away whatever unfavourable prejudices might arife, if any should arife, to the chara&er and conduct of General Pigot.-(A cry of hear! hear !)

Colonel Baftard was of opinion that it was of very little confequence whether the fituation of the country was owing to the former or prefent Administration. If taken fingly there could not be found a fufficient caufe for war in any one, action; he infifted that, taken in the aggregate, there was most ample ground for it; and now that we were entered on it, he hoped that we would go through it with spirit and with vigour. He was glad to hear there was one hon. Gentleman VOL. IV. 1802-3.

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of talent, and supposed that he would bring all his party in with him. At the fame time he lamented that there should be fuch incongruity of fentiment among Gentlemen who were all looking at the fame thing; fome cenfured the temerity of rushing into a war without fufficient provocation, while others blamed their timidity in procrastinating the time of war fo long, and bearing fo much infult. For his part, he thought it required more fortitude to bear insults than to refift them. He only required that the war fhould be offenfive, not defenfive, and hoped we were not yet fo low but that we might readily have the affiftance of strong and powerful continental allies.

Mr. Patten explained. He was fatisfied if, in a general fenfe, we had the affiftance of the men of the first abilities in the direction of the affairs of the ftate, without partiality or friendship for any man, but only in confideration of the talent which he poffeffed.

Mr. 1. H. Browne obferved, that the difficulties and dangers to which the hon. Gentleman alluded originated with the former, and not with the present Administration. When Members spoke of illufory hopes held out by Minifters, he would be glad that they would mention the particular expreffions and the particular dates, that he might afcertain if Gentlemen were mistaken. He did not think it right at this critical moment and at this critical hour, when the hon. Gentlemen themfelves agree, and the Houfe all agree, in the propriety of fupporting the country against the dangers which threaten it; he did not think it right at fuch a period to interrupt the harmony and unanimity of the Houfe by any vote of cenfure on his Majefty's Government. He was well convinced, however, that the generality of the Houfe was as unanimous against the First Conful as he appeared to be determined againft our enjoyment of the liberties of Englishmen; and he thanked God, and he thanked the prefent and the late Adminiftration for the prefent exiftence of our freedom. He adverted to the dreadful fcenes of confufion and rebellion which exifted in what was then our fifter, but now fo happily united in one kingdom; and thought the fuppreffion of fuch fhocking revolt and outrage was an objc&t highly creditable to the Gentlemen who compofed the late Adminiftration. The conclufion of the Treaty of Amiens he thought as praifeworthy in the prefent Administration. While France continued to violate only the fpirit of the treaty, he thought it moft wife to avoid hoftilities, if poffible; but when the came to violate the

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letter of the treaty, that was a point to ftand on, there he thought it fit to reft, as, indeed, for every rupture of the kind it was neceffary to begin at fome point. He did not, however, know how to decide whether that was a proper point on which to reft; he thought indeed it was impoffible for any Gentleman who was not more than a mere Member of Parliament, to decide upon the propriety of the point on which a stand should be made, amidst so many acts of aggravation and infult. Particular firefs had been laid upon the circumftance of the armaments in the ports of France and Holland, and fome Gentlemen feemed to think it vastly material that an alarm should not be excited too foon; but, if St. Domingo were to be abandoned, we had caufe for alarm, and for great alarm. Other Gentlemen found fault that a meffage had not been fent down to that House fooner than it had been; in his opinion that would be extremely improper alfo, as we might thereby be plunged into a war, when, by a different line of conduct, the horrors of war might probably be averted. To fend an addrefs up to his Majefty at this critical moment for the removal of his confidential fervants would, in his opinion, alfo be extremely improper. A with had been expreffed by an hon. Gentle man oppofite him (Mr. Patten) to fee all the talents, all the ability of the country on that bench below him (the Treafury Bench). He agreed in the fentiment of the hon. Gen fleman fo far; but it was not high founding words or eloquence of language; it was not idle and infignificant rumour; it was not attachment to names or perfons which should attract his voice or bias his judgment. He had never heard a fpeech of fo great importance in its conclufion, and which contained fo little to convince his judgment in the courfe of it. The motion therefore should have his most decided negative.

Lord Kensington declared it was his opinion, that at the prefent critical moment the Houfe had a right to know whatever concerned their political fituation. He did not agree in opinion with either of he honourable Gentlemen; but an expreffion which fell from the honourable Gentle. man who fpoke lant, drew forth obfervations from him which perhaps he might not otherwife have thought of. The honourable Gentleman had obferved, that the difficulties and dangers to which we were now expofed, had originated with the former Minifters. The honourable Gentleman fhould have recollected, that the expedition to the Baltic was planned and executed under the direction of the late Administration. That was an expedition which made