HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



they but ill deserved it) on the wis- 

 dom of their measures. But here 

 nothing was said of the effect of that 

 measure of the right honourable gtn- 

 tleman (Mr. Pitt) for the improre- 

 ment of our military system, which 

 was last year supposed to make the 

 whole difference between an admi- 

 nistration of imbecility and one of 

 vigour. There was not a word in 

 the speech of the difference between 

 the two, and he belicTed it would 

 be admitted that the measure of last 

 year had altogether failed. He 

 would not prejudge the subjeiS of 

 the Spanish war before the papers 

 relating to it were before the Jiouse, 

 but he must remark that the seizing 

 of the Spanish frigates, loadecl and 

 destined as they were, did certainly 

 bearan unsecmlyappearance,andone 

 not much to the honour ofthiscoun- 

 try. Never was there a moment when 

 this nation ought to stand more clear 

 of reproach than the present, when 

 we were accusing France of viola- 

 tions of the law of nations, and mak- 

 ing them a ground of war with her ; 

 and when, upon that ground, Ave were 

 calling upon foreign nations to malie 

 a common cause with us against 

 her. He therefore hoped that nei- 

 ther Spain, nor any other nation, 

 whether they vied with each other 

 for outrage, violation, or contempt 

 of the law of nations, or for their 

 reverence for it, would have it in 

 their power to accuse us justly either 

 of any such outrage, violation, or 

 contempt, or even of indififcrence to 

 the principles of equity and modera- 

 tion ; and he further hoped that no 

 partiality to our own country would 

 induce us to everlook any of these 

 principles, whether towards Spain 

 or any other power, even though it 

 should be a power in dispute with 



BS. 



The Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer (Mr. Pitt) conc.'ived the speech 

 to be suflieientlj' explicit, in declar- 

 ing that confidential communications 

 did subsist between his majesty and 

 some of the continental powers, and 

 gave the house assurances of tlie 

 magnanimous sentiments entertained 

 by the emperor of Russia, relative 

 to the highest intereftsof Europe, as 

 well as the security and independence 

 of this country. This was surely 

 sufficient for all those who thought 

 that in making peace wc should 

 look to (he re-c.stabli''hment of thoso 

 ancient continental relations, whicli 

 French ambition had overthrown. 

 As to the state of Ireland, he ob- 

 served, that though that country cer- 

 tainly had not derived all the bene- 

 fits from the union which that mea- 

 sure was capable of affording, yet 

 great advantages had already at- 

 tended it, and many others may 

 speedily be expected. If themeasures 

 which the honourable gentleman 

 (Mr. Fox) now so loudly called for, 

 appeared to him so immediately ne- 

 cessary, why did he suffer four years 

 to elapse since the union, and never 

 have called for them before ? " \^'hat 

 the reasons are," continued he, 

 '' which have induced me to sufier 

 it to remain dormant, 1 shall, on a 

 future occasion, have an opportu- 

 nity of stating, and I flatter myself 

 that the house and the country Avill 

 give me credit for consistency, M'hcn 

 1 have stated the reasons why I still 

 think that the matter should remain 

 dormant at the present moment." 

 With respcdt to the plan of military 

 defence which he proposed last year, 

 though he admitted that its etieCts, 

 in adding to the numbers of our mi- 

 litary force, had hitherto been very 

 small, yet he was far from thinking 

 it a measure which ought not to 

 B 3 have 



