42@ ANNUAL: REG 
and Holland, at the date of his ma- 
jesty’s message, as the French go- 
vernment positively denied, that 
there existed any such preparation, 
and that there were only two fri- 
gates fitting outin Holland, and 
two corvettes in France at that 
time! Mr. Grey concluded, by 
proposing his first motion, for pa- 
pers respecting violence committed 
to British subjects and property in 
the ports of France. 
Lord Hawkesbury in reply said, 
that it was not insisted, that any of 
those particular grounds, was of it- 
self a cause of war; but all toge- 
ther amounted, in his opinion, toa 
mass of aggression, which would 
completely justify the conduct of 
his majesty’s ministers. He thought 
the honorable gentleman had taken 
an exaggerated view of those points 
on which he grounded his motion. 
It was not necessary that France 
should positively deny satisfaction ; 
if she constantly evaded it, it was 
evidence of a hostile disposition: 
he therefore opposed the motion, 
Mr. Whitbread thought the mo- 
tions -proper; in all events, he 
thought, it would be incumbent on 
ministers to prove in their justifica- 
tion, that they had acted cautious- 
ly, as well as zealously ; and that it 
was not through their fault, that 
grievances had been allowed to ac- 
cumulate, when that accumulation 
was now made the ground of actual 
hostility. 
Lord Castlereagh, thought mi- 
nisters had giyen every degree of 
information, that their duty allowed 
them ; and, that they had exposed 
themselves to a severe ordeal, by 
laying before the house, the whole 
history of their conduct since the 
treaty of Amiens. 
IS TER,» 1803. 
Mr.. Windham supported the 
motion, and thought information 
was necessary on all these points 
which Mr. Grey had mentioned : he 
censured the conduct of ministers 
in wrapping themselves up in af- 
fected mystery, when all that was 
wanted, was, the substance of the 
information in their power. 
The chancellor of the exchequer 
said, that there was only one of the 
many motions made by Mr. Grey, 
that he should feel himself bound 
in duty to resist; that was, the 
motion with respect to the arma- 
ments going on in France and Hol- 
land at the time of his majesty’s 
message : he would however say, 
that Mr. Liston had informed go- 
yernment, that there was a body of 
10,000 troops encamped in Hol- 
land ; and the house would recol- 
lect, that the first consul had himself 
told all Europe in his exposé, that 
he should keep 500,000 troops 
ready to support his negociation 
with England ; and that only a 
fortnight before the message, when ~ 
France was at peace with the con- 
tinent, a new and extraordinary 
levy had been made by conscrip- 
tion. 
After some observations from the 
secretary at war, and the master of 
the rolls, on the impolicy of produe- 
ing those documents, Mr. Grey 
made a very able and animated 
reply. 
The question being put on his 
motions, they were all carried, ex- 
cepting those which related to the 
armaments, and those respecting 
the remonstrances concerning the 
atiairs of Holland and Switzer- 
land. 
On the 20th, Lord Borringdon in > 
the house of lords, moved also for 
further — 
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Oe ee ee ee 
