mISTORY: OF [EU ROPE. 
she was in possession of Italy and 
Holland; she was also in possession 
of St. Domingo, which she has 
since lost, and which, if she pos- 
sessed, our West India colonies 
would be in great danger. As Bo- 
_ Maparte offered to give up Malta in 
perpetuity, for an ‘adequate consi- 
deration, he theught our ministers 
should, at all events, have nego- 
ciated with respect to the consi- 
deration which might have satisfied 
the French government. 
. The duke of Clarence, went over 
the history of the last war, and 
traced the anxiety and clamour for 
peace, to the failure of so many of 
our expeditions. It was from per- 
ceiving the wishes of the public so 
strong for peace, that he gave his 
‘consent to the preliminary articles. 
-He took an able review of the hos- 
‘tile conduct of the French govern- 
ment, from the day they had sign- 
‘ed the preliminaries. He more 
particularly dwelt on the conver- 
sation of Bonaparte, with lord 
Whitworth, in which the first con- 
sul declares his views upon Egypt, 
and considers the possession of 
Piedmont and Switzerland, as “‘ des 
bagatelles,” trifles not worth consi- 
dering, and which must have been 
foreseen, while the treaty was pend- 
‘ing. At the time of the treaty, it 
was considered a primary object to 
- guarantee the independence of Mal- 
- ta; but the destruction of that order, 
to which it was to have been re- 
< _ >stored, and the change in the rela* 
- tive situation of France, since the 
* treaty, made it more necessary than 
-éver, not to restore Malta, till its 
independence could be perfectly se- 
) ¥ cured, 
* Lord Mulgrave, thought the op- 
"pressions exercised by France, ever 
i vother powers, td agerandize her 
147 
empire, was a sufficient reason for 
us to refuse to surrender Malta; 
but by the letter of the treaty, we 
were bound to surrender Malta to 
the order, who were to be restored 
to their ancient privileges ; instead 
of that, the order had been strip- 
ped by France, both of its property 
and privileges. A grand master 
had been chosen, by the pope, who 
was himself a vassal of France, and 
therefore to restore it now, would 
be only giving it into the hands 
of Praiice, as a key to the posses- 
sion of Egypt. If ministers were to 
bear longer the insolence of the 
French government, they might 
have Napper Tandy sent over to 
them, as a commercial agent; or 
Arthur O‘Connor, as proconsul of 
Britain. He therefore approved of 
the conduct of ministers on this oc- 
casion, 
Lord Melville, was glad to find, 
that the importance of Malta, as a 
key to Egypt, was universally ad- 
mitted; and also that we had a right 
to secure its independence, against 
the ambition of France. In the ac- 
tual state of Europe, Great Britain 
and Russia were the only powers 
capable of giving security to Malta. 
He felt rejoiced, that the negocia- 
tion, as respecting Malta, was at 
an end, and that the treaty had, 
on this point, become a dead letter, 
by the act of France, who, had made 
the execution of itimpossible. The 
order of St. John of Jerusalem, is 
now no more, and we must keep 
Malta, not for them, but for our- 
selves, He was content to say, that 
we went to war, to keep Malta; and 
to support the address to his ma- 
jesty, for his gracious communica- 
tion on this ground alone. 
The duke of Richmond, did not 
consider the questioy of Malta, as 
L2 a suf- 
