226] ANNUAL REGISTER, 
of the active and extensive prepar, 
rations going forward at Brest,shall 
we be told, after the large ‘sums 
consumed in Secret service-money, 
and with the immense navy in our 
posstssion, they ought not to have 
sent out fresh ship ps to reinforce that, 
squadron ? It is ab surd on the face 
of it. Admiral Colpoys, however, 
must have reccived int telligence of 
the sailing of the Brest fleet. Did he 
sail in’ putsuit of them? Did he sail 
towards the ‘coast of Portugal after, 
where it mifyht, perhaps, have oc- 
curred to him they were gone? No. 
Did he’ sail after them Howards the 
cOast of ‘Treland? No: he sailed 
directly for Portsmouth, where he 
artived on the very day’ that infor 
mation Was brought they were on 
the’ frish coast. Another reason 
which! has ‘been given for the ree 
turn of this squadron into port was, 
that/it was short of provisions. In 
evéty' view of every reason for its. 
returiy the’ most glaring misconduct 
and éulpability stare us in the face. 
Is it possible to conceive, that in all 
tlte' time admiral Colpeys lay with 
his squadron off Brest; either fresh 
ships, properly victualled, ¢ould not 
have been gent to reliade him, or 
transports, with provisions, have 
béen “forwarded to re-victual- his 
fleet ? The questiom answers for it- 
self. Numerous, as ‘well as various 
are the oFjections which have, from 
time to. time, been made. to-any and 
every species of inquiry, pending-a 
war. Notwithstandiig all this, we 
have an instance, § said Mr. Whit- 
bread, of an inquiry having been 
granted, towards the ‘close of the 
last war, in which the night honour- 
able gentleman opposite to him 
(Mr. Pitt) acted a very considerable 
part, .in moving for various papers, 
in support of the motion. Mr. 
1797. 
Whitbread then said, I cannot cone 
clude in more apt or proper terms, 
than by using the words of a cele- 
brated predecessor of yours, sir, ,in 
that chair, who, after the failure of | 
the fleet, in 1744, when he pre- 
sented the bill of supplies, told the | 
highest | authority i in this country, 
“that in citcumstances so dismal 
and distre essing, the house ought to 
exercise the best, and the dearest of, 
their privileges, that of inquiring 
into the application of every part of | 
the supplies.” I: therefore move, . 
sir, “ that it be referred to a'com- , 
mittee, to Inquire into the conduct | 
of ministers, with respect to the late 
attempt of the French, in the inya- 
sion. of freland.??—To the charges 
of Mr. Whitbread, it was ‘answered’ 
by 
er Dundas, who said, thatit was 
impossible to decide, whether the ob-. 
ject Of the French fleet was Tieland ’ 
or Portugal. “It was thé wisest 
measure that could be adopted, to, 
divide our fleets, stationing one, off 
Brest,’ for the purpose of watch- 
ing ‘the enemy, and intercepting 
the sailing of the expedition ; ‘and 
the other ‘at home, “to rele ats 
ifs reeessary.’ A fleet,’ under | sir 
Edward‘ Pellew, was appointed 
to cruize off Brest, and did actu- 
ally cruize there. But notwith- 
standing the diligence and skill of 
the admiral; and. the experience 
and courage of sir Edward, their 
exertions were in vain; for the 
state of the weather was wick that 
it was impossible for the admiral 
to keep his own fleet under his 
observation, and the air was so 
hazy, that the fog-cuns were con- 
tinually fired. ‘Could any’ man 
doubt sir Edward’s inclination to 
have given, if possible, the intelli- 
gence to the admiral, 
enemy 
that the ~ 
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