HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



13 



■was now admitted to be tranquil, 

 and therefore he could see no change 

 in her situation which would be 

 likely to induce the right honour- 

 able gentleman to put an end to this 

 odious measure. There could be no 

 end to it, at this rate, during the 

 present war, and he deprecated its 

 adoption the more, as it would fur- 

 nish the French government with 

 the means of sorely annoying this 

 country, by depriving the people of 

 their liberty ; for it would have no- 

 thing more to do than to promul- 

 gate the existence of an Irish or an 

 English committee also ; and, upon 

 that, it seemed, combined with the 

 popular discontent which such mea- 

 sures must always produce, an En- 

 glish minister may found a reason 

 for investing himself and his friends 

 with the extraordinary power of 

 suspending the constitution of Eng- 

 land. 



Lord Dc Blaquire argued, that it 

 was better to prevent guilt than to 

 punish it, and gave it as his opinion, 

 that had the habeas corpus act been 

 suspended previously to the rebel- 

 lion in 1 803, that calamitous event 

 would have never happened. 



Mr. Alexander supported the 

 measure, as one that would be ac- 

 ceptable to the loyal majority of 

 the people of Ireland. 



Air. Martin (of Galway) said, 

 that had the question merely been 

 the alTirmative or negative of a sus- 

 pension of the habeas corpus act in 

 Ireland, he should have voted for 

 the former, on account of the know- 

 ledge he had of the situation of the 

 country ; but as the middle course 

 of an enquiry had been proposed, he 

 w as determined to support it. 



r<\T. Dawson said, that as a re- 

 presentative of the Irish people, he 

 inust oppose the original motionj 



unless there were previously laid be- 

 fore the house public and official 

 documents, sufficient to furnish a 

 parliamentary ground for the neces- 

 sity of the measure. 



On the question being put, there 

 appeared for the original motion 

 1 12, for the amendment 32 : majori- 

 ty 79. 



A debate of the highest import- 

 ance, and to which the attention of 

 the country was very anxiously 

 turned, came on in both houses of 

 parliament, on Monday, February 

 11th, upon the subject of the rup- 

 ture with the court of Madrid. In 

 the house of lords, previously to 

 entering upon the main business of 

 the day, earl St. Vincent availed 

 himself of the full attendance of 

 their lordships, to demand of the 

 noble lords on the ministerial bench, 

 amongst whom he saw some friends 

 of his, whether it ever had been, or 

 was now, in the contemplation of 

 any of his majesty's ministers, to in- 

 stitute any enquiry into his conduct 

 while at the head of the board of 

 admiralty ? He was induced to ask 

 this, in consequence of something 

 said by a right honourable gentle- 

 man, at the head of his majesty's 

 councils in another place, and he 

 implored of the present government 

 to give him an opportunity of dis- 

 closing the source and spring of 

 every action of his private and pub- 

 lic life, and especially while at the 

 admiralty board. 



Lord Ilavvkesbury replied, that 

 he was not av.arc of any intention 

 to instilute any such enquiry as the 

 noble lord alluded to. 



The order of the day being then 

 read, for taking into consideration 

 the papers relative to the discussions 

 with SpaJDj 



Lord 



