86] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



alliance between Russia and Swe- 

 den upon the non-accession of 

 Denmark, by which such a for- 

 feiture was to be incurred. Their 

 lordships, who had with just in- 

 dignation reprobated the principle 

 of dismemberment and partition 

 under the pretext of moral or phy-;' 

 sical convenience, ought fully to 

 know upon what grounds they 

 proceeded in sanctioning a treaty 

 that appeared in any degree to re- 

 cognize such a political doctrine ; 

 they should therefore be further 

 informed of what had lately passed 

 between our government and that 

 of Copenhagen, which was known 

 to hare sent a minister to this 

 court, during which time hostili- 

 ties had been suspended, but had 

 been since resumed. He hoped 

 the noble lord would have no ob- 

 jection to produce the correspond- 

 ence between the Danish minister 

 and our government ; and he also 

 wished to know how it happened 

 that the treaty before them, which 

 had been signed on the 3rd of 

 March, was not laid upon their 

 table till so late a period of the 

 session. Another point on which 

 information was desirable, was how 

 far Sweden had actually put in exe- 

 cution her engagements by the 

 treaty, and what sum had been 

 already paid her on this ground. 

 Further, he thought that our en- 

 gagements with Russia, and other 

 foreign powers, were necessary to 

 be known, in order to enter upon 

 a due consideration of this im- 

 portant subject. 



The Earl of Liverpool would 

 not anticipate the future discus- 

 sion, in which his Majesty's ser- 

 vants would have an opportunity 

 of fully explaining the grounds of 

 tb« treaty with Sweden, and would 



at present content himself with 

 saying that they had proceeded 

 upon no such principle of policy 

 as that to which the noble earl had 

 adverted. With respect to the 

 engagements between Russia and 

 Sweden, as they had not been 

 communicated to the ministers 

 upon authority, he did not feel 

 himself justified to comply with 

 his lordship's wishes on that head, 

 but he had no objection to lay 

 upon the table the substance of 

 the article to which the present 

 treaty referred. He must decline 

 the production of the correspond- 

 ence with the Danish minister, as 

 it involved topics which, if dis- 

 closed, might be prejudicial to 

 other powers; but the information 

 required on this point was not ne- 

 cessary for the consideration of the 

 present treaty. In reply to the 

 observation made as to the time in 

 which the treaty was laid on the 

 table, he said that it could not be 

 produced till its ratification which 

 only arrived on the 10th of May, 

 and some subsequent discussions 

 rendered it inexpedient to lay it 

 before parliament sooner than had 

 been done. With respect to the 

 money advanced to Sweden, he 

 had no objection to give the fullest 

 information on that head. As to 

 our engagements with other pow- 

 ers, all the treaties entered into 

 were already before parliament ; 

 but with regard to any further 

 discussions relative to co-opera- 

 tion, the House must be aware 

 that it would be improper to say 

 any thing at this moment. 



Earl Grey expressed himself not 

 entirely satisfied with the extent 

 of information offered to be 

 granted, and intimated that when 

 the discussion came on, he should 



