‘ 
250] 
neral question was this, whether or 
not sufficient preparations weremade 
by the admiralty to be ready against 
any possible expedition, which 
might be fitted out in the ports of 
France ? It was admitted, he said, 
that either Portugal or Jreland 
was the point of attack: the one, 
our faithfal ally ; the other, as dear 
to us as Great Britain itself. - What 
was the nature of our preparation ? 
Why, we had our fleet actually 
watching the enemy on their 
coasts, and ready to follow them 
wherever they might go, in case 
the weather had permitted that’ we 
could have known their ‘direction ; 
and we had another fleet in such a 
forward state of preparation, as to 
have been ready to have sailed in 
five days after we knew that the 
Brest Heet had’ sailed, had the wind 
been fair. Had either one fleet or 
the other been so fortunate as to have 
met the enemy’, what prodigies of 
valour might we not have expected? 
Tn respect to the navy of Great 
Britain, it ought to be recollected, 
how many and various objects, 
and what rich and important 
possessions, it had to protect. “This 
circumstance must Jessen our supe- 
rlority in*some points, especially, 
when the enemy had, so lately, 
been reinforced by the fleets of 
Spain. What more ¢ould be done 
than to have one fieet on the French 
eoas!s, and another ready for séa? 
Having no positive information of 
the destination of the enemy’s fleet, 
occasioned by? the mere circum- 
stance of fogs and esa ag 9p 
weather, was it extraordinary! that 
~we should have been so long in the 
dark, and unable to find out their 
place of rendezvous, when the 
French admiral aud general Hoche, 
who were in possession of the secret, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
admiralty, 
1797. 
and sailed in the samme expedition, 
as well as other captains of the fleet, 
had, fromthe same causes.of weather, 
never been able even to join it. 
Admiral Colpoys’ fleet. was in a 
state and condition to follow the 
enemy, and the papers offered to 
be produced would: prove it. Mr. 
Pitt concluded. his ‘speech,, on this 
occasion, by complaining of Mr, 
Fox’s manner of speaking concerns 
ing Ireland, which he considered as . 
violent and inflammatory. On a 
division of the house, on Mr. Whit+ 
bread’s motion, the previous ques- 
tion, against it, was carried by 201 
against 62, 
On the same subject, a motion 
was made, on March 16, in the 
house of peers, ‘by they earl of 
Albemarle. Before he proceeded, 
however, he assured the house; that 
he did not mean ‘to offer, or even 
hint, the smallest disrespect, either 
to any of. the gallant officers em- 
ployed in any of our fleets, or ta 
the admiralty. The only object he 
had in, view was, an inguiry.. It 
was the universal opiniou that blame 
lay somewhere. It was. only ne-. 
cessary for him toremind their lord-» 
’ ships, that ministers must have been 
informed, even long before the 
mecting of the present parliament, ’ 
that an invasion, of either Ireland 
or this country, or both, was. in- 
tended. Why, then, was no fleet 
of onrs stationed an/ the coast of: 
Ireland for ils protection? This 
question appeared to him. to-be of 
still greater. importayce, trom what 
had; fallen: from the first lord of the 
who had declared: his 
belief, «that if the thing was to be 
done ever again.” » Lord-Albemarle 
then entered into a circumstantial 
review of the whole proceedings of 
. the enemies of our own fleets. The 
ty sah 
following 
