108] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



impossible they could make a de- 

 fence. The difficulty of operations 

 in Holland was admitted, and, that 

 such an enterprize could not suc- 

 ceed without the co-operation of 

 its inhabitants; that ministers were 

 aware of this, and were confident 

 of such co-operation, it was there- 

 fore natural to presume. But this 

 very circumstance was a sufficient 

 argument against inquiry. The 

 dilemma, then proposed by the no- 

 ble lord, whether or not the peo- 

 ple had an opportunity to rise — 

 Lord Moira wished not to be enter- 

 tained. To determine that point, 

 to justify the confidence of co-ope- 

 ration, would inevitably lead to the 

 most dangerous disclosures, to the 

 public designation of our friends in 

 thatcountry, their numberandsitu- 

 ation, and of the whole correspond- 

 ence on which the confidence of 

 co-operation was founded, and the 

 practicability of the object pre- 

 sumed ; a procedure that might 

 not only prove injurious at the pre- 

 sent moment, but interfere with all 

 future operations of a similar kind. 

 In candour, therefore, to the minis- 

 ters, to the illustrious person at the 

 head of the army, and to all the 

 parties concerned, and from a con- 

 sideration of the injury which might 

 result from disclosure, in case a 

 similar attempt should be made 

 again, an event, from the determina- 

 tion to continue the war, not impos- 

 sible, he must request that the noble 

 lord would not press his motion. If 

 the noble lord, however, should per- 

 sist, it was lord Moira's intention to 

 move the previous question. 



The earl Spencer was at a 

 loss to know on what grounds 

 the motion before the house could 

 have been made. He confessed 

 that it was one of those difficult 



things that could be thrown in the 

 way of ministers. Their silence 

 was made a subject of suspicion : 

 their disclosure of all they knew 

 must lead to serious consequences. 

 The noble loi;d, who had made the 

 motion, had, in the course of his 

 speech, made many omissions, and 

 dwelt only on such parts of the ex- 

 pedition as tended to set it in the 

 mostunfavourable point of view. It 

 was acknowledged by the noble 

 lord that the expedition had objects 

 sufficiently important to induce this 

 country to undertake it. It was 

 admitted that to rescue Holland, 

 and to cause a diversion of the 

 forces of the enemy, were legiti- 

 mate objects. It was admitted that 

 the capture of the Dutch fleet was 

 an advantage gained for the coun- 

 try. On these two points the ex- 

 pedition had not failed. Of three 

 objects, all of them considerably 

 important, two out of the three 

 had succeeded most completely. — 

 The house, in confirmation of what 

 he stated, would call to mind the 

 month when the expedition took 

 place, and to what good effect it ope- 

 rated in favour of the allies. The 

 signal defeats which the enemy ex- 

 perienced, was one of the good 

 effects of this expedition : for it 

 was fair to infer, that the forces 

 called into action in Holland, as 

 withdrawn from the French in Italy 

 and Switzerland, tended to weaken 

 their efforts, and increase the force 

 of the combined armies. 



Lord Mulgrave said, that the 

 plan of the expedition was good. 

 There was, at the time of its plan, 

 in August, in Holland, an enthu- 

 siastic attachment to this country ; 

 and, had sir Ralph Abercromby, 

 when joined by general Don, and 

 possessed of a force of fifteen thou- 



