In the courfe of his fpeech, my hon. Friend who proposed this motion, fuggefted that the plans for the deliverance of Europe and foreign alliance, would probably be accompanied with a fubfidy. The hon. Gentleman in reply, however, feid nothing of this point, and I am surprised that he should have omitted a confideration fo important to the prefent queftion; I hope ftill that we fhall to-night hear fomething fatisfactory on this head. During the former coalition, when this Houfe was called upon to fanction loans and subfidies to Pruffia and Auftria, we were told that it was impoffible for these powers to go on without pecuniary aid from this country. What are we to expect now then should they be roufed into action: Is there a greater chance that they will feel an intereft fo powerful as to prompt them to contribute to the deliverance of Europe without being stimulated by the wealth of England? I hope we fhall know exactly to-night, whether we fhall be called upon for new fubfidies. I am afraid indeed that continental connection is too furely the forerunner of foreign fubfidy. This confideration is one of ferious and weighty importance. I am not one who is inclined to defpondence, nor do I think this a moment in which fuch a fentiment ought to enter the mind of an Englishman. If, however, our financial fituation is not calculated to excite defpondence, it ought, as Members of Parliament, to teach us caution. If, however, as there is but too much reafon to fufpect, these new coalitions will call upon us to remit vaft fums to our continental allies, we ought to remember with ferioufnefs the remonstrances and the ftatements of the Directors of the Bank on this fubject at the time the Bank ftopped payment. They then demonftrated to the right hon. Gentleman the ruinous confequences of fuch remittances. If fubfidies are to be granted, to fend our fpecie abroad must be the neceffary confequence, and to what that may lead it is impoffible to fay. We have already had the experience of the danger which it occafioned. At prefent the iffues of paper pafs current; the public is habituated to it. The clamours and the fears which the stoppage of the Bank produced have again fubfided, and all goes Imoothly. If, however, a fimilar event fhould again occur, it not easy to say with what mischief it may be attended. Firmer remedies could not again be applied, and a fecond panic could not be fo eafily allayed. Things of this fort, indeed, in the prefent momentous times, were scarce confidered to ufe a vulgar faying) a nine days wonder.Things which formerly would have furprised and alarmed, crowd on us fo faft as to diminish our fenfe of their danger and their confequences. We have feen new schemes of finance; we have feen the Land Tax fold; we now fee the tenth of every man's property about to be put in requifition. The hon. Gentleman faid a good deal of the reciprocity of argument, which on certain points, diftinguished the Gentlemen on this fide of the Houfe. In the adoption of schemes which owe their origin to the French Revolution, the right hon. Gentleman has difplayed this reciprocity in an eminent degree. The financial operations of the French have ever been the theme of declamation to Gentlemen on the other fide, though they are not unwilling to imitate the principles of what they difapprove. I will venture to affert then, that hardly any measure of Robefpierre went beyond the operation of the meafure of finance which has lately been propofed. Spies, under the name of Surveyors, are to be employed in the collection of the revenue. Men are to be obliged to make discoveries of their circumftances, or to be taxed by an arbitrary affeffment. Such is the fituation of our financial refources at a moment when new fubfidies will, in all probability, be demanded. I remember a curious faying of a very worthy character, Mr. Serjeant Hill, which is very applicable to this fubject. Mr. Serjeant Hill one day obferved in conversation, that if he was a member of this House he would move, that it fhould be a standing order that a pair of loaded piftols fhould be laid upon the table, and that if any man rofe to move that a guinea fhould be sent out of the country, it fhould be the duty of Mr. Lea or Mr Dyfon, directly to fhoot him through the head. The right hon. Gentleman however, could find means of fending money to the Emperor without the formality of a propofal, and would be able to avoid the inconvenience to which fuch a regulation would expofe him. No man in the country, I am fure, can feel more than I do the fplendour of Lord Nelfon's victory; but while this blush of triumph fits upon the face of this country, there is a difeafe upon its vitals which muft excite fome alarm. This is the ftate of our finances. On this fubject we have the refult of the laborious investigations of a Committee in cart loads of ftatements which there feems no inclination to difcufs. It is a fubject, however, to which our attention is immediately directed, when the meafores which are to be adopted neceff lead to fubfidies. At the time when the firft Coalition were put in motion, a famous famous report appeared in France from St. Juft, which was much talked of in this Houfe, in which he predicted, as afterwards happened, that the members of the Confederacy, having each a particular intereft to purfue, would foon defert the common caufe. Is there then any probability that a new coalition will exclude views of particular interefts, or that it will be animated with a purer or more perfevering profecution of a general object. We are told that many of thofe powers on whom the fcourge of French tyranny has fallen are fo exhausted, that they have not physical resources left to enable them to throw off the yoke under which they labour. What a profpect does this open to us--what unlimited demand for fubfidies and pecuniary aid of every kind from this country. These deficiencies must be made up by England, and her exhausted refources must be called upon to fupply the means of new continental war, and to tempt new coalitions. The hon. Gentleman made fome allufions to what had been faid in another place refpecting the infular policy of this country, and I am fure the expreffions which he quoted were not in the ftyle by which that eminent States man is distinguished. What the hon. Gentleman means by a "fnug, tight, domestic war" I cannot tell; but I am fure that the principles laid down by that perfon for the infular policy of this country, are the true principles of our profperity. What other Gentlemen who are now abfent may have faid refpecting the foreign politics, and foreign interefts of this country, I know not. For my own part, I never have been a party man; I have ever thought that the policy of this country was to avoid continental connexions, and our moft eminent writers have recommended this policy, as particularly appears from fome of their works lately published. Such was the opinion of Bolingbroke, Sir Robert Walpole, Lord Townfend, &c. Thefe men thought that the only high ground on which this country could ftand, was to adhere to our infular policy, and to avoid continental.connections. Sir James Murray faid, that after the very able speech of the hon. Gentleman oppofite (Mr. Canning), he should not detain the Houfe with many remarks. There was one point, however, which, in the great variety of argument which the fubject involved, feemed to have elcaped him. He alluded to what had been faid refpecting our fuceeffes in the course of the last year. It could not be faid, that during this period we were quite deftitute of allies. It was well known that the fituation 1 fituation of the continent was fuch as to oblige the French to make great preparations both on the Rhine and in Italy, which might be confidered in fome meafure equal to a campaign, This circumstance must have operated greatly in favour of this country. He was not quite fure if Europe had been perfectly tranquil, and France had feen all the Continent at her feet, if the enemy had kept up a great force on their coafts and expended the fums they have spent in military preparations by land upon their marine, perhaps it might have been more difficult and dangerous to detach so large a division of our navy to the Mediterranean, by which the fplendid victory of Lord Nelfon was atchieved. Of that victory no Englishman could be infenfible of the value, and it was needlefs now to infift upon it. No man had felt more anxiously the fufpence which we underwent during the Cruize of that fleet, or rejoiced more fincerely in the refult of the engagement. With refpect to the deliverance of Europe, it was an expreffion to which different meanings might be attached. For his part he understood it not as a philanthropist merely, but as it was connected with our fafety, and as it might be confidered as a British caufe. Mr. Dickenfon, Jan. faid, that though he differed from the hon. Gentleman who made the motion refpe&ting the expediency, he by no means imputed to him any improper motives or party views. It was the common practice of thole, however, who oppofed the war, to dwell upon the expence with which it was attended. This was an objection applicable to all wars that had ever been fince the world began. When engaged in war it was neceflary that it should be fupported. He differed from thofe who thought that the motion was an encroachment on the King's prerogative. He confidered the Houfe of Commons to be a place where they could converfe with his Majefty and his Minifters. The motion would be attended with many mischievous confequences, none of the leaft of which was, that to thofe abroad who were not acquainted with the nature of our conftitution, it might appear to be a proof of a different intereft between the king and the parliament, and that his Majefty was not free 10 regulate all matters of peace and war, a fuppofition perfectly unfounded. It no doubt would tend likewise to damp the fpirit of Europe, and to deprive those who struggled under the tyranny of France, of the hopes of fuccefs and affiftance, while it would remove the apprehenfions the enemy enterdained of being affailed by a new coalition. It appeared to blue him him that there was a great difference between the fituation of COMMONS, France now, and the fituation of France at the beginning of the laft coalition, a difference which muft operate greatly on the people in every country of Europe. At first the French began with declarations against other governments and against religion. Now they had acted upon what they had announced, and proved to all Europe that their conduct had been more mifchievous than their declaration had threatened. Their trade and commerce were destroyed, their navy was annihilated, their refources were almoft exhaufted; they had no longer the means of plunder they had formerly poffelfedthey had no longer the eftates of the nobles and the clergythey had no longer the confifcated property of thofe they murdered! He contended therefore, that in every point of view the chance of checking their power was now more favourable than it had ever been; and on thefe grounds he difapproved of the motion. He fhould not, however, detain the Honfe longer in ftating arguments which already had been fo ably enforced. Mr. Tierney and Mr. Canning faid each a few words in explanation; after which the motion was negatived without a divifion. The other orders of the day were then deferred. HOUSE OF COMMONS. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12. Sir John Anderfon brought up the bill for rendering more commodious, and better regulating the port of London. The bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read fecond time on Friday fe'nnight. The Annual Indemnity bill in favour of those who omitted to qualify themselves under the Teft Act, was read a first time and ordered to be read a fecond time. The English Small notes bill, was read a third time and paffed. The Secretary at War brought up an account of the num ber of Staff and General Officers now ferving in his Majefty's army, together with the amount of their pay. The paper being read, Mr. Windham observed, that it did not perhaps contain the whole of the estimate moved for by the hon. Gentleman, but if it was read, as required by the hon. Gentleman, he would prefent another paper which would 1 |