Romilly, sir Sam., knt., Horsham SALUSBURY, Sir Rob. bart, Brecon Scudamore, Rich. Phil., Hereford thenshire Shakespeare, Arthur, Richmond Smith, Thomas Ashton, Andover Smith, George, Wendover Smith, John, Nottingham Somerville, sir M. bart., Meath Steward, Richard Tucker, Weymouth, &c. Stewart, sir James, bart., Donegal County Stewart, hon. C. W., Londonderry | Villiers, right hon. J. C., Queen County Stewart, James, Tyrone Stewart, hon. Ed. Rich., Stanraer Stirling, sir W. bart., St. Ives TALBOT, R. Wegan, Dublin County Thellusson, G. W., Barnstaple Townshend,lord J., Knaresborough Townshend, hou. W. A, Whitchurch Tracy, C. H., Tewkesbury VANDER-HEYDEN, D. East Looe Vaughan, hon. John, Cardigan Vaughan, sir R. W. bt., Merion ethshire Vereker, Charles, Limerick City Vernon, George G. V., Lichfield borough Vyse, W. H., Beverley WALLACE, right bon. T., Shaftesbury Walpole, lord, King's Lynn Welby, W. E., Grantham Wellesley, hon. H., Eye Wharton, Richard, Durham City Willoughby, Hen., Newark-upon- Windham, right hon. Wm., High- Winnington, sir T. E., Droitwich Wyndham, Thomas, Glamorgan shire Wyndham, hon. C. W., Sussex Wynn, sir W. Williams, bart., Denbighshire Wynn, Ch. Watkin Williams, Montgomeryshire Wynn, Glynn, Westbury YARMOUTH, earl of, Lisburne Yorke, sir J. Sydney, St. Germain's Yorke, right hon. Charles, Cambridgeshire THE Parliamentary Debates During the Second Session of the Fourth Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Kingdom of Great Britain the Twenty-first, appointed to meet at Westminster, the Twenty-first Day of January, 1808, in the Forty-eighth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King GEORGE the Third. [Sess. 1808. HOUSE OF LORDS. Thursday, January 21, 1808. bad the result of the Negotiations at Tilsit confirmed the influence and controul of France over the powers of the continent, [THE LORDS COMMISSIONERS' SPEECH.] than his majesty was apprized of the inThe Second Session of the Fourth Parlia- tention of the enemy to combine those ment of the United Kingdom was opened powers in one general confederacy, to be this day, by commission; the commis- directed either to the entire subjugation of sioners were, the archbishop of Canterbury, this kingdom, or to the imposing upon his the lord chancellor, and the earls Camden, majesty an insecure and ignominious peace. Aylesford, and Dartmouth. At three-That, for this purpose, it was determined o'clock the lords commissioners took their to force into hostility against his majesty, seats upon the woolsack; and the Com-states which had hitherto been allowed by mons, pursuant to message, having attended, with their Speaker, at the bar, the Lord Chancellor informed them, that his Majesty had been pleased to direct his commission to certain lords, therein named, to open the session; which commission they should hear read, and afterwards his majesty's most gracious Speech. The commission was then read by the clerk at the table; after which, the Lord Chancellor read the Speech, as it here follows: "My Lords and Gentlemen, "We have received his majesty's commands to assure you, that in calling you together at this important conjuncture of affairs, he entertains the most perfect conviction, that he shall find in you the same determination with which his majesty himself is animated, to uphold the honour of his crown, and the just rights and interests of his people. We are commanded by his majesty to inform you, that no sooner VOL. X. France to maintain or to purchase their neutrality, and to bring to bear against different points of his majesty's dominions the whole of the Naval Force of Europe, and specifically the Fleets of Portugal and Denmark. To place those fleets out of the power of such a confederacy became therefore the indispensable duty of his majesty. In the execution of this duty, so far as related to the Danish Fleet, his majesty has commanded us to assure you, that it was with the deepest reluctance that his majesty found himself compelled, after his earnest endeavours to open a Negotiation with the Danish government had failed, to authorize his commanders to resort to the extremity of force; but that he has the greatest satisfaction in congratulating you upon the successful execution of this painful but necessary service. We are commanded further to acquaint you, that the course which his majesty had to pursue B with respect to Portugal was happily of a nature more congenial to his majesty's feelings: That the timely and unreserved communication by the Court of Lisbon of the demands and designs of France, while it confirmed to his majesty the authenticity of the advices which he had received from other quarters, entitled that court to his majesty's confidence in the sincerity of the assurances by which that communication was accompanied.-The Fleet of Portugal was destined by France to be employed as an instrument of vengeance against Great Britain; that Fleet has been secured from the grasp of France, and is now employed in conveying to its American dominions the hopes and fortunes of the Portuguese monarchy. His majesty implores the protection of Divine Providence upon that enterprize, rejoicing in the preservation of a power so long the friend and ally of Great Britain, and in the prospect of its establishment in the New World, with augmented strength and splendour.-jesty commands us to inform you, that We have it in command from his majesty to inform you, that the determination of the enemy to excite hostilities between his majesty and his late allies, the emperors of Russia and Austria, and the king of Prussia, has been but too successful; and that the ministers from those powers have demanded and received their passports. This measure, on the part of Russia, has been attempted to be justified by a statement of wrongs and grievances which have no real foundation. The emperor of Russia had indeed proffered his mediation between his majesty and France; his majesty did not refuse that mediation; but he is confident you will feel the propriety of its not having been accepted, until his majesty should have been enabled to ascertain that Russia was in a condition to mediate impartially, and until the principles and the basis on which France was ready to negotiate were made known to his majesty.No pretence of justification has been alleged for the hostile conduct of the emperor of Austria, or for that of his Prussian majesty. His majesty has not given the slightest ground of complaint to either of those sovereigns, nor even at the moment when they have respectively withdrawn their ministers have they assigned to his majesty any distinct cause for that proceeding.-His majesty has directed, that Copies of the Official Notes which passed between his majesty's ambassador and the minister for foreign affairs of his imperial majesty the empe ror of Russia, pending the Negotiations at Tilsit, as well as of the Official Note of the Russian minister at this court, which contain the offer of his Imperial majesty's mediation, and of the Answer returned to that Note by his majesty's command; and also Copies of the Official Notes of the Austrian minister at this court, and of the Answers which his majesty commanded to be returned to them, shall be laid before you. It is with concern that his majesty commands us to inform you, that, notwithstanding his earnest wishes to terminate the war in which he is engaged with the Ottoman Porte, his majesty's endeavours, unhappily for the Turkish empire, have been defeated by the machinations of France, not less the enemy of the Porte than of Great Britain.-But while the influence of France has been thus unfortunately successful in preventing the termi nation of existing hostilities, and in exciting new wars against this country, his ma the king of Sweden has resisted every attempt to induce him to abandon his alliance with Great Britain; and that his majesty entertains no doubt that you will feel with him, the sacredness of the duty which the firmness and fidelity of the king of Sweden impose upon his majesty, and that you will concur in enabling his majesty to discharge it in a manner worthy of this country.-It remains for us, according to his majesty's commands, to state to you, that the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between his majesty and the United States of America, which was concluded and signed by commissioners, duly authorized for that purpose, on the 31st of December 1806, has not taken effect, in consequence of the refusal of the President of the United States to ratify that instrument. For an unauthorized act of force committed against an American ship of war, his majesty did not hesitate to offer immediate and spontaneous reparation: but an attempt has been made by the American government to connect with the question which has arisen out of this act, pretensions inconsistent with the maritime rights of Great Britain: such pretensions his majesty is determined never to admit. His majesty nevertheless hopes, that the American government will be actuated by the same desire to preserve the relations of peace and friendship between the two countries, which has ever influenced his majesty's conduct, and that any difficulties in the discussion now depend |