92 
The records of tyranny had fur- 
nished no instance of a more foul, 
flagrant, and unprovoked aggression 
on the rights and liberties of a 
brave, innocent, and injured peo- 
ple, than the conduct of France 
towards Switzerland exhibited.— 
Switzerland was principally impor- 
tant to Europe, as being the barrier 
to Germany; but we suffered Ger- 
many to be partitioned, and then 
we feebly interposed for Switzer- 
land. The power of France in- 
creased with accumulated rapidity, 
but her principles remained the 
same, as did her system of fraud, 
violence, and insult. Had we for! 
got that while our ambassador was 
at Amiens, she had siezed the most 
flourishing portions of Italy? Did 
they remember how they had been 
imposed upon with respect to the 
limits of Portugueze Guiana? How 
we had been deceived about the 
isle of Elba, and the trick which 
had been practised on the Turkish 
minister at Paris? The peace was 
allowed to be only an experiment, 
and yet ministers acted as if the ex- 
periment had succeeded: they 
reduced our armies and our fleets, 
without waiting to see whether 
France was pacific i in her disposi- 
tions or not. He then alluded: to 
the conduct of the French Govern- 
ment in the instance of Napper 
Tandy, and in countenancing a new 
English paper in Paris, (the Argus) 
directly levelled against the British 
government. As to the prosperity 
of our commerce, notwithstanding, 
the prohibitions of France, although 
it was true we might carry on a 
considerable contraband trade, yet 
that must be done in neutral ves- 
sels, which would hurt considerably 
our shipping interest. In this com- 
ANNUAL “REGISTER, 
1805. 
mercial riyality, much had beén 
said of British capital and credit, 
and perhaps not enough of French 
power andenergy. The same causes 
which had rendered France so for- 
midable in war, would have the 
same influence when directed to 
the enterprizes of commerce. If 
gentlemen relied on our surplus, 
four millions; he couldsay, France 
hadfourhundred thousand bayonets. 
“ The armed robber is at the door, 
and if not well resisted, the richer 
we are, the better for the robber.” 
He concluded a long and very able 
speech, by expressing his opinion, 
that if we were now obliged again 
to go to war, it would not he for 
our honor, or for any of those in- 
terests which form a legitimate 
cause of war; but it would be for the 
existence of the empire itself, and he 
hoped that from the spirit of the 
people, we might look forward to a 
favourable result. 
Sir Francis Burdett allowed that 
France now presented a spectacle 
which England could not look on 
without dismay, but he thought it 
extraordinary that a right hon. 
gentleman yesterday should have 
pointed out, with an air of triumph, 
those dangers into which he him- 
self had conducted us, in conjunc- 
tion with his colleagues in office. 
It is an extraordinary course he re- 
commends for avoiding those dan- 
gers, to put ourselves again under 
the suidance of those men who 
brought us before into danger, and 
to pursue the same measures which 
have produced this efiect. The 
power of France is formidable, but 
it is owing to the war, and the 
mode it was conducted, that she 
has been placed in that situation. 
When the combined despots of 
Europe 
