Imatges de pàgina
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brave officers at home, who would have equally fignalized themselves, had they had the fame opportunities.

The wifdom and magnanimity displayed by the Emperor of Ruffia, and the vigour and firmness of the Ottoman Porte, were, he faid, highly important, and he congratulated the Houfe on the almoft univerfal appearance of the fame difpofitions in the different nations now ftruggling under the yoke of France, which muft neceffarily afford a powerful encouragement to other nations, and convince them that it was the only line of conduct confiftent with honour and fecurity. In every view of vigilant perfeverance, of undaunted bravery, of confummate fkill, our admirals, officers, and feamen had fet fo glorious an example to the universe, and had rendered fuch eminent fervice to their country, that it went beyond the power of human panegyric to do juftice to their merits. It called for the heartfelt gratitude of every man who had British blood in his veins, or British interefts at heart. And he trufted that Parliament would feel it to be their duty, whenever the time fhould come that the fervices of thofe brave and diftinguifhed men should no longer be neceffary, or that age fhould make it defirable for them to retire, that fuch becoming and ample provifion fhould be made for them as would fhew that the nation were not unmindful of the benefits they had derived from their courage and exertions. His Lordship complained of being prevented from expreffing a variety of other fentiments, which he had intended to ftate on the prefent occafion, by a fevere indifpofition, under which he laboured, and therefore would content himfelf with moving the Address, which he read, and which was an echo to the Speech. Before he fa: down, however, Lord Darnley faid, he must take notice of one matter which he had accidentally omitted to touch upon, viz. that part of his Majefty's Speech in which the pleafing information was given af the flattering ftate of our Refources, of Public Credit, and of the Trade and Commerce of the Country; this, in the fixth year of an expenfive war, compared with the miferable fituation of the refources and commerce of the enemy, who were not only deftitute of public credit, but had nearly exhaufted the whole of the means of carrying on the war, which they had hitherto drawn from general rapine, and a fpecies of robbery and conduct equally unparalleled in hiftory, and repugnant to all laws human and divine, muft exalt the hopes of all who heard him, and afford rational expectations of our fpeedily obtaining that defirable object, a fafe and permanent peace. He could, he declared, with confidence affure his Majefty, that he might fafely rely on the zeal and loyalty of his Parliament, and

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the fpirit and good fenfe of the nation; as that Houfe had in the courfe of the war afforded repeated inftances of their zeal and attachment to the Crown and the Conftitution; and he was perfuaded there was fcarcely one individual in the country, who would not manifeft his spirit and good fenfe by chearfully bearing his fhare of the burthens, which the exigency of affairs might render it neceffary to be impofed, to fupport and preferve the inestimable bleffings which they enjoyed under his Majefty's mild and beneficent government.

Lord Craven feconded the motion. Nothing, he faid, could afford more fincere pleasure, or infpire more pride in the heart of a man, than the defeription which his Majefty's gracious fpeech had given of the prefent condition of this country. After being deferted in the courfe of the war by the Allies whofe caufe we had come forward to efpoufe, it was gratifying to fee the noble ftand that we had made, and the fuccefs we had obtained against the common enemy of mankind. By our fingle exertions the navy of the French Republic was annihilated. Her boafted Army of England had already loft it's title, and every enterprize the had undertaken against us was completely defeated. Not only our coafts at home, but our most valuable poffeffions abroad were fecured; domeftic treafon, aided by her means, was quelled, and the progrets of her ambition abroad was checked, if not deftroyed. Through the vigilance of our marine, of all the fquadrons which the French had fent out for the infidious purpofe of affifting the rebellion they had created in Ireland, but one had reached the place of it's destination, and even that had failed of withstanding the efforts of his Majesty's well directed force. He heartily concurred, therefore, with the noble Earl in the juft eulogium he had paid to the virtue and gallantry of our naval officers and feamen, whofe fervices demanded every return of gratitude from their country. He concurred alfo with the noble Earl with regard to the advantages which would naturally flow from the recent fucceffes. There was but one branch of commerce which this country did not before almost exclufively poffefs, namely, that of the Levant, and of that trade France would now be totally deprived, and this country would reap all the advantages which had heretofore belonged to our enemy in that quarter, and which alone contributed to the maintenance of her navy. The prefent fituation of Buonaparte was also an advantage of the victory of the Nile. Cut off from all means of retreat, and befet on every fide with obstacles. And this was not all-thefe fucceffes had already given fpirit and alacrity to feveral of the foreign Powers, who had unequivocally expreffed their determination to join

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against the common enemy. Ruffia and the Ottoman Porte had already declared themfelves, and he had no doubt but that Auftria, though unwilling, would find it her intereft to join in the great united exertion which the example of our Government had recommended to all Europe, and without which it would be vain to look either for fecurity or peace.

The Marquis of Lansdown faid, My Lords, I never had the honour to join my feeble voice with that of Noble Lords who went before me with more pleasure, than I now join in the juft tribute of gratitude and applaufe that has been paid to our gallant navy for their wonderful, glorious, and patriotic exertions in the fervice of their country. I should have particular delight in dwelling on their merits, if I could hope to add any thing to what has been faid fo ably and fo fenfibly by the Noble Lords who have gone before me. The merits of the brave and gallant Officers who atchieved them, have been done ample juftice to by the Noble Mover and Seconder of the Addrefs. Thofe Commanders fo warmly commended this day, have done their duty, and done as much as men could do for their Country; but there remains a duty for us to do at home -a duty which we are bound to perform, viz. a duty which will reft upon the King's Minifters and upon your Lordships to perform, the duty of drawing from those victories the advantages they are calculated to fecure, and to fee that a proper ufe and a right application is made by his Majefty's Ministers of the glorious events which have been dwelt on with fo much rapture this day. Every wife man knows, that the greatest victories are but fleeting objects unless properly ufed: and however fafcinating at the first view, will pass away and give room to new events without turning to any folid advantage, unless they are made the ground of obtaining that moft defirable of all acquirements, which I have again and again recommended in this House-a fafe and honourable peace. All, who felt a true love for their country, would think the fervice they were able to render it, best repaid, by knowing, that they had materially tended to procure the ceffation of hoftilities and the reftoration of Peace; and I have no doubt, but that Lord Nelfon, would greatly prefer the fatisfaction of learning that the victory he had obtained, has produced fuch important and beneficial confequences, far above any perfonal compliment that could be paid him. Indeed a great victory is of little ufe to any country unless it is made to answer a purpofe of a still greater national importance; it is therefore, with real forrow, that inftead of finding, as I had expected to do, fome expreffions, in the fpeech of this day, that afford a hope that his Majefty's Minifters mean to

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make use of the victory of the Nile, to which I have pointed, and which might lead to Peace, the language of it holds out a far lefs pleafing promife; it plainly ftates a call for new exertions, and a defign to continue the war. I cannot agree with the noble mover of the Addrefs, in thinking, that the Addrefs ought to be a clofe echo of the Speech; a different tone and flyle ought, in my opinion, to have been adopted in both the one and the other. And in what manner is it recommended to continue the war? By again combining with the European Powers, with whom this country has already been engaged in a league, and by every one of whom he has been abandoned, and entirely deferted. I am fure, my Lords, that I. fhall speak the fentiments, not only of that great man, Lord Nelfon, but of every diftinguifhed officer in the fervice who has contributed to the aftonishing glories of our naval campaign, when I fay that they will feel difappointed if their triumphs fhall not produce the advantage to Great Britain which with wife management they are calculated to confer. When I fay this, my Lords, I defire to be rightly understood. I am fatisfied that it is of confequence, not only to the repofe and fecurity of Great Britain, but of the world in general, to check the progrefs of the French Revolution. It is not neceffary, nor is it confiftent with found policy to load with opprobrium even the enemy; but it is impoffible, my Lords, to fpeak of the conduct of the French without ufing the language of the moft unequivocal te probation; their courfe of havock and devaftation, their unprincipled and deteftable tyranny,' corruption and bafeness, must excite in every bofom that cherishes the principles of liberty as the fupreme good, and the happiness of human kind as the end of every rational Government, a fteady refolution to check their career, and to fave the world from the horrible calamity to which they doom it. I have no hefitation, my Lords, in faying, that this is my feeling. They have provoked it by their rapacity, by their treachery, and by the horrors they have spread around them; and I rejoice to fee that it is the prevailing fentiment and feeling of the world. No humane man who has obferved the progrefs of their arms, and examined the fpirit of their defigns, but muft join in the indignation which I exprefs. But, my Lords, it is another thing how the progrefs of their atrocity is to be checked; and here it is that I request your Lordships to paufe and to enquire, if you are in the right courfe. The question is, have we the power to accomplish it by the means which we have taken? Have we not the experience of five years to prove to us, that we have undertaken the task in a way not calculated to obtain the end. What likelihood is there

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that we shall be more profperous for the future than we have hitherto been. I confefs to you, my Lords, that here I find myself difappointed: I do not fee the means of obtaining the end fpecified and fet forth in his Majefty's fpeech. I flattered myfelf that I fhould have heard of a great and well organized plan, going directly to the object in which all the great Powers of Europe had concurred, and in which all other views and purposes were to be laid afide; and, my Lords, it never was denied, it never could be denied by any man that the Powers of Europe would have been at every period of the French Revolution, and are at this moment able to check and put an end to their career and mifchief, provided that they would go to the talk with honeft intentions; provided that their confederacy was not diftracted by views of a mercenary kind, by plans of rapine and aggrandifement, by feelings of jealoufy and diftrust, and by the intervention of all the little defpicable intrigue which ought never to be fuffered to enter into great combinations. It never, I fay, my Lords, was denied but that if at length a fenfe of general danger fhould bring the Powers of Europe to a league upon honeft principles, they must prevail over the revolutionary fyftem, and it was my hope that his Majesty's Minifters had improved the late victory of the Nile to this great purpofe; that they had difplayed to them the advantages of magnanimity, and before they came to Parliament to announce the continuance of war, had incorporated those Powers in a great and difinterefted league, in which, inftead of difgracing themfelves by looking to this country for fubfidies, they had refumed the dignity which became them, and had at length resolved on going directly to the object of restoring fecurity to Europe, without feeking in it's diforders their own temporary profit. My Lords, I am difappointed to find none of this in the speech from the Throne; I fee nothing held out to me upon which I can repose; I hear no account of returning wifdom or of returning magnanimity. Who, that knows the jealoufies that fubfift between the great Powers of Europe, can flatter himself that, until they are done away, any fyftem of co-operation can be fuccefsful against France. Every perfon who has ever had an opportunity of mixing in fociety, every boy who has ever been upon the continent of Europe in the tour of his education, must have feen that the rooted enmity between Austria and Pruffia defcends even to the private foldier, and actuates the very ranks of their armies. And unless I fhall fee that a conviction of common danger fhall make them enter into a more generous union of effort than any that they have hitherto done, I confefs to you that I fhall not form any fanguine VOL. I. 1798. hope

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