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was affiicted by a severe indisposition, our administration divided among themselves, government for a time inefficient, and the people threatened with the horrors of an immediate famine, and the country also menaced with invasion, and this invasion calculating as means of success on the disloyalty of numbers of his majesty's subjects. At present all that alarm had disappeared, and we had the pleasure to behold our beloved sovereign in the full enjoyment of his health, exercising the best and most amiable of his privileges, announcing the return of peace, and all its blessings, to the people. The blessing of God had dissipated, by the last abundant harvest, all danger of famine; and the nation, after a long and glorious struggle, might prepare to taste the blessings of peace.

The duke of Bedford, in a short speech, expressed his concurrence with the address. He, however, differed from the noble mover in one sentiment; he could not agree that this was precisely the fittest time to make peace, he thought it could have been more fitly made at a more early period.

tories never surpassed in the annals of this country, and secured by moderation; a plentiful harvest dis pelling every fear of famine; and an event no less glorious than the peace with France, no less advantageous to the interests of this country, the arrangement of the disputes with the Northern Powers. After expatiating at considerable length on those topics, his lordship concluded, by moving an address similar to that which was proposed in the other house.

Colonel Woodhouse seconded this address.

Mr. Fox then rose to express his most sincere and cordial concurrence in the address, and his approbation of the peace which had been at length obtained. This was an event on which he could not suppress his joy and exultation: an event in which the people of England had the greatest cause to rejoice and exult. At present he should not trespass further upon the attention of the house, than to offer this short but sincere expression of his sentiment on the event, and to declare his assent to the address.

Mr. Pitt rose also to express his

The address was then agreed to, satisfaction on the event which had nemine dissentiente.

In the COMMONS, the same day, the address was moved by

Lord Lovain, who hoped, that as the event which his majesty's speech had announced had been approved of by the great majority of the nation, so the address which he should have the honour of proposing, would be generally, if not universally, approved of in that house. His lordship recapitulated the various subjects of national exultation. A peace, gained by vic

been announced in his majesty's speech; for the present, he should forbear any observations upon the subject of the preliminaries, but when he came to express his motives for rejoicing in the attainment of peace, possibly they would be found very different from those of the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox) who spoke last. Whatever opinion he might entertain as to certain of the preliminary articles, he approved generally of the outline, We owed this event to

the gallantry of our fleets and armies, and that good conduct in the people of England, which he had ever considered as our best security; and events had proved, that as long as the people of England were true to themselves, and their representatives true to their interests, they had nothing to fear from external foes.

Mr. Windham said, that if this address was to pledge the house to approve of the preliminaries specifically, he could not support it; but as it gave no such pledge, he should support the address, but at the same time give a general outline of the reasons for which he differed from the sentiments which other gentlemen had expressed about the peace. He could not avoid differing, on this occasion, from his right honourable friend (Mr. Pitt), from whom to differ he always considered a misfortune. He was aware, that to stand as a solitary mourner in the midst of general exultation, to wear a countenance clouded with sadness, while all others are lighted up with joy, was at once unfortunate and ungracious. He could not avoid, upon this occasion, differing from those gentlemen (Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox), who had so often heretofore differed on every subject of the war, though now they coincided in approbation of the peace. It struck him, however, in a different point of view, and he must ask, Were the circumstances of the peace the subject of joy and exultation? When he was called upon to put on his wedding suit he must inquire whether it was a marriage or a funeral he was called to celebrate? When he was desired to illuminate, he must learn whether

it was to light him to a feast or a sepulchre? He must most solemnly pronounce, that it was his firm persuasion, that ministers, in signing this peace, had signed the death-warrant of the country. The only thing which France wanted to enable her to divide with this country the empire of the seas was, such a participation of commerce as to enable her to extend her navy; this participation they had now obtained. He should not, however, find fault with ministers, if they could show that such a peace was a safe one, if they could show that there was an absolute necessity for it. Such a necessity, however, he did not perceive. These topics would, however, be more fully discussed at a future day.

The chancellor of the exchequer (Mr. Addington), declined going into the discussion of the preliminaries, as they were not now before the house; his right honourable friend (Mr. Windham), who professed also to feel the impropricty of entering into such discussion at present, had, however, advanced opinions and suggestions," which he could not permit to pass uncontradicted. He must answer, that it was not by the extension of our territories by conquest, but by preserving our constitution, and defending our own possessions, that we would possess the best securities for our rights, and for the extension of our commerce. He had conceived that his right honourable friend would be the last to depreciate the finances of the country and its resources; he was therefore surprised to hear him suggest that the accedence to the treaty on the part of England, was the effect of necessity, and from want of means

to continue the contest; he disclaimed the motive so assigned; he disclaimed being party to any such plea. He must publicly declare, that had it been found necessary to continue the contest, no deficiency whatever would have been found in the finances and resources of the country. He concluded by antici pating the unanimity of the house on the motion for the address.

. Mr. Sheridan admitted the propriety of abstaining from discussion of the merits of the treaty, and as he saw no great objection to the address as it now stands, he felt no wish to disturb the unanimity of the house. He approved of the address the more for not being an exact echo of the speech, as the speech contained distinctions and characters of the peace which he could by no means admit that it deserved. As to the marinity, however, with which this address was likely to pass, he believed, if the tine was come for gentlemen to speak their real sentiments, there never was a period of less unanimity. The right honourable gentleman has spoken of the peace in terms in which he

He dif..

could by no means agree. fered from him when he charac terized the peace as glorious and honourable. He differed still more from those who conceived it to be inexpedient to make peace at all. He considered this as a peace involving a degradation of the national dignity, which no truly English heart could behold with indifference; such a peace as the war had a necessary tendency to lead to. The war, he considered as one of the worst wars in which the country had been engaged; and the peace as good a one as any man could make in the circumstances in which the country was placed.

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CHA P. II.

Copies of the Convention with Russia laid before the House of Lords-and Commons-Motion by Mr. Grey for Papers-by Mr. Whitbread on the second Article of the Preliminaries.-Inquiry by Lord Grenville on the Subject of Portugal.- Address to the King moved for in the Lords on the Peace. Debate. - Speeches of Lords Romney-Limerick-SpencerDuke of Clarence - Pelham-Grenville-Chancellor-Moira-Mulgrave -Duke of Bedford - Fitzwilliam-St. Vincent-Nelson-The Marquis of Buckingham-Carnarvon-Hobart.-Division.— Address carried.

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N Friday the 30th of October, copies of the convention with the emperor of Russia, and of the preliminary articles of peace with France, were presented to the house of lords by lord Pelham; and to the house of commons by lord Hawkes bury.

In the house of lords, lord Grenville rose to move for copies of all treaties and conventions made within the last year by France with any of the powers which were allies of his majesty the object for which he moved those papers was to explain that article of the preliminaries which respected the integrity of Portugal, inasmuch as by one treaty Portugal had ceded a province to Spain, and by another a still greater proportion of its territory to France: he wished then much to know what was this integrity of Portugal which was guarantied by the preliminaries, or what claim the government had to the praise of fidelity in securing the possessions of our allies. For his part, he was of opinion that there never was a transaction of any kind in the history of our country, at any period, or under any circum

stances, in which so much had been given up without any equivalent, such unlimited concession made, so much disgrace incurred, and the nation placed in such awful circumstances of impending peril. hoped, however, that his noble friend would, by an express declaration, render the motion unnecessary.

He

Lord Pelham regretted extremely that the noble lord should think it necessary to oppose the measures of his majesty's ministers on so important a point. With respest to the production of these papers, he observed, that while matters stood in negotiation between this country and France, such papers could not be laid upon the table, without considerably embarrassing his majesty's servants, and endangering the public interests.

Lord Grenville said he did not mean to embarrass his majesty's ministers, nor oppose their measures, unless in matters of such import as left him no option. On the contrary, he was ready to give them all the assistance and support he could, provided they would act with more firmness and vigour in maintaining B 4

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the peace, than they had shown in negotiating it. After again touching on the vast importance of the cession which Portugal has made to France in Guyana, he concluded by waving his intended motion for the present, as his noble friend (lord Pelham) had expressed an objection to it.

On the same day, in the house of commons, Mr. Grey demanded explanations from ministers on nearly the same grounds as lord Grenville had wished for the production of papers in the house of lords. He wished particularly to be informed what was the nature of the integrity that was stipulated for the dominions of the queen of Portugal? Was it the integrity of what remained of it when it had ceded a province to Spain, or was it its absolute integrity? He also expressed the surprise he had felt in reading the treaty between France and Portugal, to find that the goods and merchandise of France were to be admitted into the ports of Portugal with every advantage and privilege formerly given to the most favoured nation: would be, in fact, an abrogation of this all the treaties which had subsisted between this country and Portugal for the last century. It was on these two points that he wished for explanation from ministers.

Lord Hawkesbury considered these questions as unusual and irregular, and therefore declined, for the present, to enter into any explanation, and more particularly as the subject would soon come before the house in a regular way of discussion.

The thanks of both houses were given to general Hutchinson, lord Keith, and sir James Suamarez.

On the 2d of November, in the house of commons, Mr. Whitbread asked lord Hawkesbury whether

Spain and Holland had appointed any representative authorised to conmentioned in the second article of sent to those cessions of territory the preliminaries.

they had not; but that it was conLord Hawkesbury replied, that petent to act for her allies: he addsidered that France was fully comed, that he was now prepared to anto him by an honourable member swer a question which had been put (Mr. Grey) the other evening: the to secure to Portugal her territories sixth article of the treaty meant only as settled by the treaty of Badajos, that she had concluded with Spain.

not the only question he had put to Mr. Grey observed, that that was he had also inquired about the the noble lord on a former evening; treaty between Portugal and France, by which French manufactures were to be received in Portugal on terms equally favourable with those of this country.

the preference given by each counLord Hawkesbury replied, that admitted the woollens of other na try was reciprocal; and if Portugal tions to be imported upon the terms heretofore exclusively enjoyed by this

liberty to place all other wines country, we should also be at upon footing with those of Portugal.

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debate took place in both houses, on On the next day a most important the motion for an address to his majesty: this debate naturally drew forth the sentiments of every distinguished member of either house, as to the general merits or demerits of the preliminary articles: previous however to the order of the day for reading his majesty's speech, a desation, took place in both houses rebate, or rather an animated conver specting some further information

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