HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



55 



cessary to hare large ships, and there 

 the right honourable gentleman's 

 small craft would be of no use. It 

 should be recollected too, that, dur- 

 ing tliat administration which he 

 (Mr. Pitt) praised so much, a French 

 fleet, with a large army under Hoche, 

 had lain seventeen days unmolested 

 oif the coast of Ireland, and nothing 

 but the winds prevented them from 

 making good their landing. 



Mr. Sturgess Bourne, and sir W. 

 Elford, supported the motion. 



Mr. Tyrvvhit Jones defended the 

 conduct of the admiralty, and of 

 the administration in general. lie 

 considered the motion of Mr. Pitt 

 as inconsistent with his former 

 speeches, and that he had now 

 thrown away " (he camphor bag,''* 

 and welcomed opposition. 



Captain Markham insisted, that 

 Mr, Tierney was correal in his 

 statement of the number of men, 

 without twice counting the marines. 

 He contended, that the ships built 

 in the king's y,ards were every way. 

 better than those built in the mer- 

 chant yards, and more wholesome 

 for the sailors to live in. He thought 

 it would liave been very improper 

 for the admiralty to have followed 

 the example of Bonaparte, in build- 

 ing a number of vessels of green 

 •wood, Mhich are always leaky and 

 unwholesome. 



Sir W, Curtis bore testimony to 

 the protection which commerce re- 

 ceived under the present naval ad- 

 ministration. 



Mr. Courtenay, Mr. Burroughs, 

 and Mr. Fonblanque also support- 

 ed the enquiry. 



Mr. Pitt made a very long and 

 able reply, lie considered, that to 

 refuse those papers for which he had 



moved, would be the way to throw 

 doubts and suspicions on the con- 

 dudt of the first lord of the admi- 

 ralty ; and, to refuse them, on the 

 ground of danger in granting them, 

 would throw a doubt on the 

 strength and security of the nation 

 itself. It M ould be a most danger- 

 ous degree of confidence indeed, to 

 repose in the admiralty, at such an 

 important crisis, if it were to be 

 said, that parliament, whicli had 

 voted such a liberal expenditure on 

 account of the navy, ought not to 

 enquire how that department was 

 administered, although ihe very ex- 

 istence of the country might depend 

 upon the investigation, lie did not 

 in the least wish to excite alarm, or 

 apprehension ; but he wished to re- 

 move the deception of a false secu- 

 rity, which was, of all things, the 

 most dangerous. He considered, 

 that while France had been making 

 the most gigantic and unremitting 

 efforts, our ministers had absolutely 

 done nothing. In speaking of the 

 attack from Mr. Sheridan, he ex- 

 cited much mirth, by comparing 

 that gentleman to a wandering light; 

 a meteor, that was sometimes sceu 

 at one side of the house, and some- 

 times on the other; which had thcu 

 concentrated his rays against him ; 

 but in whose blazing face he could 

 look without fear or terror. 



After a few wOrds from Sir W. 

 Pultcney, the question was put. 

 For the motion - I3(i 

 Against it - - 201 



Mnjorlty against the motion 71 



On the 19th of March, Mr. sb, 



cretary Yorke, after a few prelimf- 



nary observations, moved the order 



of the dayy for taking into furfher 



E 4 consideration 



.\lluding to the declaration of Mrs. T,ee, on the trial of the Gordon;. 



Chronicle, p. 372. 



ride 



