influence, thanks to our gallant Commanders, ten thousand thanks to our brave feamen. The elements for a time confpired with the perfidious projects of the enemy, but at length their end was defeated by the vigilance of our fquadrons, and the fchemes which they artfully fomented to difmember the British Empire, are turned to their own confufion. For the fruftration of thefe dark defigns we are alfo indebted to our English Militia, who, to fecond the efforts of the army, most generously extended the circle of their fervice. As to the character of the enemy with whom we are contending, we fee it eminently difplayed in their infolent conduct towards Switzerland and America, a conduct which glaringly betrays their utter difregard of every moral and political obligation. To their defperate ambition England alone oppofes an infurmountable barrier; England is again uniting against them a formidable confederacy, of which it forms the vital pulie and foul. To give full effect to thefe combined operations, fome facrifices are neceffary on our part, but to thefe we fhould chearfully confent, as they are by no means commenfurate to the beneficial effects they have produced; nor do I defpair of feeing them confented to, as the public fpirit that manifefts itself in the remoteft corners of the country, rifes in proportion to the dangers and difficulties that call for its exertion. Nor are our means inferior to our good will; among other refources, I may well mention the voluntary exertions of many individuals, and from my own connection with the knowledge of the country, I may fpeak highly of the beneficial effects of the Redemption. of the Land Tax, and as truly affert that those who were loudeft in reprobating the principle of that measure, have been among the firft to take advantage of it. Such being the ftate of our refources and the temper of our minds, we should fieadily perfevere in a vigorous line of conduct until we bring the pride of the enemy to that fenfe of juftice and moderation that will not only fecure ourselves from their ambitious encroachment, but also tend to refcue Europe from its prefent, ftate of oppreffion and fervitude. For this all Europe looks up to us, and I truft we fhall not fruftrate their expectations. Uniting, therefore, with one heart and hand, we cannot fail to defeat the projects, and humble the arrogance of an infolent and unprincipled foe. I fhall only add, that I most corcially fecond the Address.

Sir John Sinclair rofe. He could not but exprefs his admiration of the clearnefs and elegance with which the noble Mover of the Addrefs had fupported his motion. The topics dwelt upon in the Speech from the Throne had been clofely

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purfued,

purfued, and a laudable zeal difplayed to animate that House and the country with new and flattering hopes of ultimate fuccefs, by the exertion of increafed energies in the préfent arduous and eventful struggle. It was not poffible to recollect pallages in the fpeech of the noble Lord without emotions of real pleafure, and he moft heartily concurred as . well in many of the obfervations made by him, as in those of the Honourable Baronet who had feconded the Addrefs. But though many important interefts had been alluded to, it was in a very flight manner, and not only had the Honourable Members palled over in filence fome topics which obviously arose out of the contemplation of the piefent state of the country, but alfo the fpeech from the Throne. Many particulars which he had expected to find mentioned in that Speech, had been omitted, and many that were intimately connected with the dearests interefts of the country, had been only faintly traced. Still there were fome particulars in the Speech, which ought not to pafs unnoticed, and to which he must call the attention of the Houfe. The first feature in the Speech, the most interefting, eventful, and animating feature of it; that feature to which the eyes of all Europe had been attracted, of which every man in the British Empire had rapturously expreffed his praife-this feature could not but have fixed the attention of that Houfe; and he knew, that proud would be the general feeling, and lofty the fentiment, when in this feature Gentlemen beheld the battle of the Nile. It had happened to him to be occupied for many years back, in enquiries concerning the fucceffes of the country in her naval wars, but he never met with fo brilliant a victory atchieved with fo much gallantry. The peculiar circumftance of the crifis, and the difficulties which he had to furmount, indeed raifed Lord Nelfon to the first rank amongst the great and redoubted Naval Heroes of the time. And when he confidered that the force of the enemy was not only fuperior in point of numbers, but had alfo lain in a fituation fo eminently advantageous, that the Admiral commanding it had pronounced it invincible, he must think the British Hero gained a victory unparalleled in the annals of the world. Yet, much as he rejoiced in this victory, much as he could revere the gallant Admiral, the brave and intrepid officers and men who had atchieved it, it was, he thought, impoflible not to fee that by the mifconduct of his Majefty's Minifters, all the laurels he had won on former occasions had been almoft blafted. his enterprizing companions in danger of being left to repine in inactivity the falline of all

their schemes of glorious and honourable ambition, while the force of France was permitted to return in triumph to

ports. For, in confequence of the force under his command being fent in detachments, to the Mediterranean, the gallant Admiral had been for weeks occupied in ineffectual fearch, wafling his time after the fleet of the enemy. He would perhaps be told, that it were to impute want of skill and good conduct to our officers, to doubt that every thing had been done that brave and intelligent men could do, to intercept the enemy. He did not impute the blame to our naval commanders-it was the fault of Minifters, who had not appointed a fufficient number of cruizers on the station. But for this, the track of the enemy might have been early difcovered, and, no doubt, his fleet defeated, and his troops. brought into our ports. So true was it, that a miferable inattention had been fhewn to this part of the service, that not having fmall cruizers, Admiral Nelson was obliged to fend the Leander, a 50 gun fhip, with the difpatches to Europe after the action. Undoubtedly there had been a great and fplendid victory obtained in the end, but why was it not more complete? A cry of Hear! Hear! with a general laugh.] "Gentlemen might vociferate cries of Hear! Hear! but (continued Sir John) I afk, why was not Buonaparte brought a prifoner to this metropolis? Why was not the force of France fuccefsfully purfued in its progrefs to Alexandria Why, with fuch immenfe fleets, with the ableft, the beft, the most enterprizing officers that ever waved a banner, was not the enemy checked and repulfed in the origin of their expedition?" He would anfwer-" Because Minifters had neglected their duty." To the fame caufe he must at tribute our misfortunes in other parts of the world. In the Speech from the Throne, not one word had been faid refpecting our Weft India difafters, yet in St. Domingo we had fuffered much. Indeed, he must think that the expedition of Minifters against that poffeflion of France, had been either rafhly undertaken, timidly profecuted, or treacheroufly abandoned. If Minifters faw in the character of this expedition its ultimate defeat, why did they not renounce it at leaff early in the conteft. It was neceffary to enquire into the nature and circumflances of this cxpedition: It was necefiary to enquire what number of troops had been employed in it, the number loft in its progrefs to the period of its failure, the fums of money expended, and whether they had been properly accounted for. That Houfe would be wanting in its duty, if it paffed in filence

over affairs thus important, but which had been paffed over in the speech without any comment. It might be that he had been mifinformed on this fubject, and that his Majefty's Minifters would tell him that the forces of the country had not been defeated; that they had merely evacuated St. Domingo. But why, he would afk, did Minifters, believing it poffible in the end to take St. Domingo, fend out orders to abandon it! Another topic which he had expected to find agitated in the fpeech, was the fituation of this country with regard to Ame

From the very great advances made toward the forming valuable and folid connections with that country, he did expect to find it stated that his Majefty had entered into new treaties of commerce, and of offenfive and defenfive alliance. Minifters best knew whether any thing had been done to effect thefe objects. In the Eaft Indies we had alfo experienced fome heavy loffes, and owing to that fatality which had long attended our navy, he thought thofe poffeffions had of late been criminally deferted. He must attribute it to this, that the Eaft India Company loft two very valuable fhips in the courfe of the laft fix months, captured by the cruizers of the enemy. Perhaps no national intereft could juftly engage the attention of men more than its finance, but though in the courfe of the laft feffions the favourite project of raising the expenditure within the year had been much taked of, it was not mentioned in the fpeech, which not a little furprized him, efpecially as the fpeech touched upon finance. Probably the Minifter waited to collect the fenfe of the nation, from the reception it might give to the projects of the new committee of finance fitting at the Manfion Houfe. But the right hon. Gentleman would do well to treat that houfe with a little more refpe&t, and not at tempt to revive in the perfons of a few merchants at the Manfion Houfe the characters of the Scots Lords of the articles, who previously planned and digefted every law that was propofed to the parliament of that country for its adoption. And yet fuch would be the revolution that Houfe had to deprecate, fhould the right hon. Gentleman perfevere in fuch conduct. For his own part he heard of the proceedings at the Mansion Houfe with indignation, and he hoped hon, Gentlemen would affert their privileges, by refifting every innovation of this fort. He took that opportunity to proteft against fuch projects, becaufe, of all the meatures of the right hon. Gentleman, the plan of finance faid to have been difcuffed at the Manfion Houfe was, to his mind, the moft wild, the moft impolitic, the moft inequitable. Hence would that House find, that if it went into the new fpeculations of the Minifter, it was not pof

fible to know what mischievous effect it would have on the permanent revenue of the country; for Gentlemen would find every project with much oppreffion, and unfounded in principles of juft and liberal policy. The hon. Baronet (Sir J. S. Mildmay) bad alluded, in the course of his speech, to the ftate of the country in the parts where he refided, and of the progrefs of the affeffed taxes, and Sir John was not forry to hear that thefe laft had fallen fo fhort of the Minifter's expectations in productive revenue, and that the Land Tax Redemption project was likely to meet with few fupporters among the proprietors of land; as every fhilling taken out of the pockets of the land owners by that project, would be taken from the fund for the improvement of their eftates, and whatever it was that blighted agricultural industry, muft in time impoverish the country. He wished the right hon. Gentleman would therefore unfold his plans to that Houfe, or at leaft enable gentlemen to form fome notion of the burdens they have yet to bear, and of the retrenchments they must yet adopt. It would be a great favour to hear a fpeech from the right hon. Gentleman who had been fo long enrolled among the feceders; but faid Sir John. "I think that before the right hon. Gentleman again. addreffes this Houfe, it is his duty, he owes to the dignity of Parliament, to make an apology for certain expreffions uttered by him in the courfe of the fpeech with which he ended his parliamentary career in the laft Seflions. "It being felt of courfe, that the hon. Bart. here alluded to the affair between Mr. Pitt and Mr. Tierney, there was a general cry of " to order! to order!” |--

The Speaker faid, that undoubtedly it was not allowable to any Meinber to proceed in the manner the hon. Bart. was about to do. It was an established rule of the House that no fpeech fhould be fabject to animadverfion excepting on the day it was delivered, or at the next fitting of the Houfe, and that too before any fpeech was made. On thefe grounds certainly the language of the hon. Bart. was diforderly and irregular.

Sir John Sinclair continued. He was not aware of his being in contradiction to the rules of that Houfe at the time he alluded to the conduct of the right hon. Gentleman, but he chearfully acquiefced in what had jutt come from high and refpected authority; and having recapitulated the feveral topics dwelt upon by him in his fpeech, he concluded by expreffing his hopes that our victories would he beneficially used in endeavours to restore peace to the country, and not idly wasled upon the extravagant projects of a Finance Minifter.

Sir Francis Burdett obferved, that he had feldom heard a fpecch