132] 
those who were the most impatient 
to see them, and would bring them 
forward with all diligence. The 
preliminaries between the bellige- 
rent powers had not been official- 
ly noticed; but he hoped shortly 
to present the House with a docu- 
ment of more satisfaction and con- 
sequence, the definitive treaty of 
peace between those two. powers. 
This answer not satisfying those 
who required more extensive com- 
munications, Mr. Gray moved, on 
the 20th of February, for a more 
ample production of papers. From 
those that had been communicated, 
there appeared, he said, just cause 
for censuring ministry; which had, 
without any warrantable motive, 
engaged in the basiness under con- 
sideration, and then relinquished it 
in abase and pusillanimous manner. 
Administration had acknowledged 
that they had not been able to pre- 
serve the possession of Oczakow to 
the Porte ; and yet this was the 
great object of the armament. 
Great Britain, it had been alleged, 
stood on such intimate terms with 
Prussia, that the interest ofits Tur- 
kish ally could not be relinquished, 
but to her essential detriment. The 
alliance with Prussia was, however, 
but defensive; and if we were, by 
any secret articles, bcund to enter 
more deeply into her views, the 
House ought to know it, in order to 
guard against mere projects of am- 
bition: from which it behoves this 
country to stand aloof, as inimical 
to the interest of Britain, and tend- 
ing only to aggrandize others at her 
cost. ‘The requisitions to the Bri- 
tish court from the Turkish ministry 
for assistance and mediation, the in- 
tercourse of the other persons con- 
cerned in this business, and chiefly 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1702. 
the entire correspondence between 
the British and the Russian minis- 
tries, ought indubitably to be pro- 
duced, if administration mean to 
exculpate itself from censures, and 
to justify the various steps it had 
taken in the progress of an affair, 
which the nation at large looked 
upon with a jealous eye, and of 
which it seriously demanded a com- 
plete explanation. 
To these allegations it was re- 
plied by Mr. Pitt, that however can- 
dour and openness were requisite 
between ministry and Parliament, 
the rule being general, admitted of 
exceptions in particular cases, 
wherein the honour and the very 
safety of the state might be con- 
cerned. Where other powers were 
implicated, secrecy became an ab- 
solute duty :—otherwise negocia- 
tions could not proceed; as by lay- 
ing open their reciprocal affairs and 
intentions, these might by such 
means be wholly deranged, and al- 
liances rendered fruitless. Confi- 
dence was due to those who. ad- 
ministered the affairs of govern- 
ment, until their capacity or their 
integrity were impeached. They 
had in the present case disclosed 
enough to make the House master 
of the essential parts of the business 
in question, ‘The papers before it 
would fairly shew what were the 
objects of our armament, and how 
far we had succeeded. 
Those who seconded Mr. Pitt, 
argued principally on the necessity 
of placing a liberal degree of con- 
fidence in the minister: but his op- 
ponents expressed a marked disap- 
probation of this doctrine, as ap- 
plicable to the present case; the 
prosperity of the state having been 
most alarmingly endangered by the 
conduct 
