peared that there was abundant cause to commend, instead of censuring the conduct of ministers with respect to the Copenhagen expedition. The noble lord then took a survey of all the circumstances which had marked the transaction, and concluded with reading a Resolution of approbation, which it was his intention to move, if the Address moved by the noble earl should be negatived.

that power, to extinguish a war, and her guaranty to defeat projects in which it is now pretended they knew her to have been a principal and contracting party.-Allegations thus inconsistent with each other, and contrary to admitted facts, weaken, instead of supporting the cause to which they are applied. With respect to the alledged necessity of the case, we beg leave to assure his majesty, that we cannot think so meanly of the power and resources of his empire, of the spirit of his people, or of the valour and discipline of his fleets and armies, as to admit that such an act could have been required for any purpose of self-preservation.-Any temporary advantages which the possession of such ships and stores as were taken at Copenhagen can afford, are already much more than counterbalanced by the other consequences of a measure which appears not less objectionable in policy than in principle. That measure has augmented the number of our enemies; it has countenanced the injurious representations circulated throughout Europe respecting our principles and designs; and has inflamed against us the warmest passions of neutral and of friendly nations. But it has above all shaken our own persuasion of the justice of our cause: a sentiment which had hitherto supported us through all our difficulties, commanding the respect of other powers, and encouraging us in an humble but confident reliance on the ultimate protection and blessing of Providence. Unwilling as we are even yet to pronounce definitively on a subject the full knowledge of which has been so pertinaciously withheld from us, and reluctant as we must ever be to admit conclusions unfavourable to the justice of those councils by which his majesty's conduct has been actuated, we are yet compelled on such an occasion to speak to his majesty the language of truth. And we must therefore, with all humility, and with the most unfeigned and heartfelt sorrow, represent, that in a case which above all others required the clearest proof, every presumption is against us, and that no particle of evidence has yet been adduced by which our national character can be vindicated from the guilt of an unprovoked and premeditated violation of that good faith, justice and humanity which have hitherto been at once the glory and the safeguard of the British empire."

Lord Eliot rose to oppose the Address. So far from any fair ground existing in support of such an address, to him it ap

Lord Holland highly regretted the degree of national dishonour that had been brought upon the country by the shameful conduct of ministers, in sending a large armed force to attack the territories, and seize the shipping of a neutral power. It was unaccountably strange, that ministers should still persist in asserting the necessity of that odious measure in order to frustrate the secret articles of the treaty of Tilsit, of which ministers pretended to have known the substance. We were publicly challenged by the enemy to produce the least evidence of the assertions which ministers had put into the sacred mouth of his majesty: yet we were totally incapable of supporting them by the least shadow of evidence. The noble lord said, he detested to hear the plea of necessity and self-preservation urged in our defence. It was particularly calculated to instil into the British people passions and opinions subversive of that liberality and generosity that distinguished our ancestors. Had France even got possession of the 16 Danish ships, the acquisition could not materially injure this country, or increase our alarms of invasion, whilst we should have been secure of the friendship and attachment of the Danish people, and their indignation at the French for forcing them to abandon their esteemed neutrality, and become a party in an unnatural war. Without possessing the hearts of the Danish people, Buonaparte could do us little injury through their means; whilst under their present circumstances, they must be filled with the utmost resentment by our unparalleled outrage. His lordship then entreated the house to vindicate the tarnished honour of the country, and shew to the nation, to Europe, and to the world their abhorrence of so flagrant a breach of the laws of civilized nations.

Lord Boringdon defended the expedition, and contended that, after the battle of Friedland, it was evident that Denmark was unable to defend the neutrality, and must make her election between England and France; and that it was also evident

Majority -59 Whilst strangers were excluded there was a short conversation on the motion of lord Eliot, for an Address to his majesty, stating, "That this house, considering the Declarations laid before them by his majesty's command; the state to which the Continent was reduced, in consequence of the negociations and peace of Tilsit; the avowed declaration of the French government to exclude the British flag from every port of Europe, and to combine all the powers of the continent in a general confederacy against the maritime rights and political existence of G. Britain; most highly approve the prompt and vigorous measures which were adopted by his majesty's ministers, for the purpose of removing out of the reach of his majesty's enemies the fleet and naval resources of Denmark."-The house then divided : Contents - 64 Proxies - - 61-125 Non-contents 29 Proxies 28- 57

[PROTEST AGAINST THE REJECTION OF THE ADDRESS PROPOSED BY LORD DARNLEY.] "Dissentient; For the reasons which are assigned in the proposed Address to his majesty; and which we are desirous of recording as a memorial of our sentiments on a measure which has, as we fear, fixed an indelible stigma on the honour of our country." (Signed by the peers whose names appear to the following protest.)

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FARD.

D.]-Sir J. Newport rose, pursuant to notice, to move, "That there be laid before this house, a Copy of the patent by which John Giffard, esq. has been recently appointed to the office of Accomptant General of the customs in Ireland, together with a statement of the manner in which the vacancy of the said office took place."

Sir A. Wellesley was of opinion, that the hon. baronet ought to have laid some parliamentary ground for the production of these Papers. He should have shewn, either that the person appointed to the office was an improper person to be appointed, or that he had been incapable of executing the duties of it, and therefore unfit to be appointed.

Sir J. Newport had abstained from entering into the discussion more at length, in order to save the time of the house, but he would undertake to shew, if the papers should be granted, both that the former dismissal of Mr. Giffard was right and proper, and that consequently, he was not a fit person to be advanced to the office he now held.

Sir A. Wellesley stated, that the gentle-" man to whom the hon. bart. alluded had been an old servant of the crown, and had never been dismissed for any reason officially stated. He undoubtedly held opinions upon the subject of the Catholics, in common with the majority of the inhabitants of the united empire, and though he might have urged these opinions indiscreetly, at a time when the subject was under the consideration of parliament, that was not a reason why he should be perpetually excluded from office. office of which he had been deprived yielded him 700l. per annum, whilst that to which he had been since appointed produced only 600l. As no ground had been laid for the motion, he could see no use in producing the papers called for.

The

[PROTEST AGAINST THE RESOLUTION PROPOSED BY LORD ELIOT.] "Dissentient; Because we hold it highly unbecoming for this house to pass a Vote of Approbation of ministers, without any proof of the allegations adduced by those ministers in their own cause, upon so momentous a proceeding. (Signed,) Wm. Frederick (duke of Gloucester,) Vassall Holland, Derby, Spencer, Ponsonby, Rawdon (earl Moira,) Essex, Clifton, (earl of Darnley,) Stafford, Crewe, Jersey, Bedford, Grenville, Albemarle, Carysfort, Sidmouth, Grey, Ponsonby, (Besborough,) St. John, Hutchinson, King, Breadalbane, Fitz-william, Lauder-after he had made his motion as a corpodale, Ailsa, Erskine, Suffolk and Berkshire, Auckland, Buckinghamshire."

Mr. Croker thought that the dismissal of Mr. Giffard was, if not an arbitrary, at least an indiscreet act upon the part of the Irish government, and that the restoration of that gentleman to office was a mere act of justice. Mr. G. was not apprised of the disapprobation felt by government at the line of conduct he was pursuing, until

rator of the city of Dublin. In making that motion for a petition to parliament, he was exercising a constitutional right, and certainly the gentlemen opposite, who, on every occasion, professed themselves [MOTION RESPECTING MR. JOHN GIF- friends to the right of petitioning, would

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Thursday, March 3.

not maintain that the exercise of that right ought to subject an individual to removal from an office purely ministerial. He was inclined to think that that great statesman, the late Mr. Fox, considered the conduct of the Irish government to Mr. G. as arbitrary.

to which he was now to move for certain papers, did he think the conduct of the noble lord at the head of the admiralty not the most judicious: in the appointment of an hon. captain to so eminent a command as he lately held in the Baltic expedition, he did think that that noble lord had not exercised a sound discretion. This, however, he only touched upon, and would pass to the business immediately before the house. In the first place then, he took it upon him to assert, that sir Richard Strachan had been compelled to abandon the blockade of the Rochfort Squadron by the want of a seasonable supply of provisions; and this assertion he did not wish the house to take upon his own bare state

for the documents, which, when upon the table of that house, would either confirm or falsify that statement. The circumstances, he had reason to believe, were simply these: sir Rd. Strachan had been compelled, by the want of provisions, to abandon the blockade; and so very ur、 gent was the necessity, that he was com

Mr. Ponsonby had never had any political connection with lord Hardwicke, but had enjoyed the honour of his acquaintance, and from what he knew of his disposition, he believed him incapable of acting in an arbitrary manner. But if no parliamentary ground had been laid before, the statement of the hon. gent. was sufficient, when he asserted that the conduct of lord H. was arbitrary, and in this he seemed to have made a bull, for his argument: so far from it, that he now moved ment went against his vote. The individual alluded to had uniformly taken a line of conduct, and uttered sentiments offensive and injurious to the Catholic body, and as he was an officer employed under the government, it was thought right to uismiss him, in order to guard the government from being considered as approving of such conduct. As to the question, whe-pelled to cruize in the offing for whatever ther the dismissal under such circumstances ought to give rise to a perpetual exclusion of the individual, the Irish and British public would decide, whether the conduct of the present government, or of lord Hardwicke, was the more meritorious. He had been frequently consulted by that great statesman, Mr. Fox, whose loss upon every account is so much to be lamented, on the subject of the Catholics. He had enjoyed a considerable portion of his confidence, but had never heard him say a word upon this subject.

Mr. Fitzgerald, Dr. Laurence, Mr. Grattan, lord H. Petty, Mr. W. Smith, and sir John Newport, in reply, argued in favour of the motion; and Dr. Duigenan and Mr. Perceval against it, when the house divided, For the motion 57; Against it 103; Majority against the motion 46.

[SIR RICHARD STRACHAN'S SQUADRON.] Mr. Calcraft rose to call the attention of the house to a subject of as serious a nature as any that could be submitted to parliament nothing connected with so leading a feature in the defence of our country as the British navy could possibly be deemed unimportant; nor could that house, or the country, exercise too strict a jealousy over that public board, to which the conduct and interests of the navy were at any time entrusted. He confessed, that not only in the instance with respect

he could meet; whether the long and vainly expected victuallers, or whatever chance might throw in his way. When that gallant officer met the Superb, the supply with which he was furnished from that vessel was not sufficient to enable him to follow in pursuit of the enemy; but there could not be a stronger proof of the extreme pressure and extent of his necessity than the fact he was about to state to the house that after the gallant admiral had come up with the Superb and Colossus, and after he had taken from them all they could possibly spare, he was obliged to apply to the Ferrol squadron, and get from them all they could give. Here it appeared to him as if the common routine had been lost sight of, which had prescribed the utmost vigilance and attention towards all blockading squadrons; not to mention what an extraordinary claim the peculiar situation of sir Rd. Strachan should have had upon their attention; and yet during the period that that squadron was suffering so much, ships were daily sailing from Portsmouth and Plymouth with fair winds. He was, therefore, at present, totally at a loss to conjecture how ministers could satisfactorily account for such unpardonable negligence; for if there was a situation more distressing in the service than another, of severer duty and more incessant fatigue, for a set of

wrong in his statement, the documents he called for would correct him; if he was right, parliament would insist upon in

brave men to be placed in, it was that of a blockade; and accordingly, it had been hitherto the uniform practice of all former boards of admiralty to pay to all blockad-quiry. He could not readily anticipate a ing squadrons the strictest and most active single objection to the production of these attention; to anticipate their wants, and papers; they would make no improper not to abandon them to the chance of ca- disclosure, reveal no secret information, sual relief, while tossing in the bay of Bis- betray no private confidence, endanger cay. The blockade service was a service no foreign communications; and yet, he of patient suffering to brave men, who was sorry to state, that he had learned could not have the hopes of honourable that a part only of the papers he asked for victory to animate their zeal; it was the would be granted. The list of the ships barren discharge of a fatiguing duty; but under the command of sir Rd. Strachan, how was that hardship aggravated by such ascertaining the time for which each was cruel neglect as he had too much reason victualled, would be granted. There was to fear had occurred in the present instance? no objection either to the weekly accounts; Who could say of what this neglect might but the letters from sir Rd. Strachan to not have deprived the country? When the lord Gardner, and the admiralty, comwant of provisions had driven sir R.Strachan plaining of the destitute state in which he from his blockade, he was cruizing in had been left upon so important and haBasque roads, at three miles distance from rassing a duty, as well as the accounts the enemy's squadron, and if he had not given in those letters of the then state of been sadly destitute of provisions he would the squadron under that officer's comhave pursued them; and what the result mand; these, he was sorry to say, had would have been it needed no extraordi- been refused him, and reasons for that renary spirit of prophecy to divine.-He did fusal he was yet to learn. The hon. gent. not think there could be a more important then concluded with moving for the folground for parliamentary investigation; lowing papers. "1. A List of the ships an officer of high professional character which were under the orders of rear-adhad been obliged to abandon a most im- miral sir Rd. Strachan, on the 1st Dec. portant service; and in consequence, the 1st Jan. and 1st Feb. last, stating against very effect, which it was the sole object each ship the day when she last sailed of that service to prevent, had occurred; from port, and the time for which she was the enemy had taken advantage of the op- then victualled. 2. Copies of all the seportunity afforded them, and had escaped. veral Accounts (commonly called Weekly There was no obstruction, no difficulty in accounts) which have been received at the way of provisioning the squadron ap- the admiralty, or by admiral lord Gardpointed to watch them, and the house and ner, shewing the state and conditions of the country were yet to be satisfied why the ships under the orders of rear-admiral the lords commissioners had not done their sir Rd. Strachan, between the 1st Nov. duty. He, for his part, was at a loss to and 31st Jan. last. 3. Copies, or extracts, conceive upon what ground such neglect of all Letters received by the admiralty, would be attempted to be justified. For or by admiral lord Gardner, from rear-adthe satisfaction of the house, the fullest in-miralesir Rd. Strachan, dated in Nov. Dec. formation was desirable. He did not rest upon mere assertion, nor did he ask that house to be guided in their decision upon the question by any other evidence than that which would appear in the documents he should now move for; and he was satisfied that, unless he had laboured under gross mistake, he should be able from those papers to make out a case sufficiently strong to justify him in the part he had felt it his duty to take. In the resolutions he should have the honour of moving, it would appear that his object was to comprehend every information that could be thought necessary to a right understanding of the present question. If he was VOL. X.

and Jan. last, which relate to the state of the water and provisions on board the squadron under his orders, or which may have described the actual or probable necessity of his putting the crews of the ships upon short allowance thereof, and of the replies thereto. 4. An Account shewing the time that the squadron under the orders of rear-admiral sir Rd. Strachan, or any of the ships belonging to it, was at short allowance of water and provisions, in Nov. Dec. and Jan. last; and to what proportions, and in what articles, the usual allowance to the crews had been reduced; and copies of any orders which had been given by the rear-admiral for that pur

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