HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
&ttacked by the observations of 
the gentleman who precedgd him 
in debate. 
_ Lord Temple then spoke as fol- 
lows: ‘ With regard to the first 
resolution, little remains to be said: 
His majesty’s declaration speaks 
for itself, and, in this house, is 
only to be considered as the lan- 
guage of his majesty’s ministers. 
They have observed, and they have 
lamented, ‘ that the system of 
aggression, violence, and aggran- 
_dizement, which characterize the 
different governments of France, 
during the war, has been continued, 
with as little disguise, since its ter- 
mination. At length, then, we 
have a bold avowal of the opinion 
which his majesty’s ministers have 
“held respecting the conduct of the 
French government, during the 
peace. At length; we are told, 
that every species of fraud, of 
violence, and of rapine, upon which 
the different sanguinary govern- 
ments have acted, at the different 
periods of the evolution, haye 
been at all times the rule of conduct 
of him who now holds in his hands 
the reins of power in that coun- 
‘ty. We are told that the same 
detestable system of policy, which 
dictated that ambitious and boast- 
ful menace, that France and Eng- 
_Jand should never exist together in 
the same hemisphere ; which sent 
ensrare to seize, by force of 
arms, a country, the possessions, of 
_ 4 power, then in amity with France, 
or the avowed purpose of striking 
blow at the Indian interests of 
is country ; who secured his en- 
ance into that country, by dis- 
wing his faith, by boasting that 
ehad been the means of over- 
Burning its altars, and dispersing the 
163 
ministers of his religion; by tramp- 
ling on the bible, and swearing by 
the koran; who secured his retreat 
from that country, by destroying, in 
cold and deliberate cruelty, the mi- 
serable prisoners who had fallen 
into his hands, and by poisoning 
his own wounded and defenceless 
soldiers. The same feelings which 
dictated, and the same revenge 
which prompted the execution, of 
every act of hostility, of rapine, 
and of horror, against this country 
and the world, during the different 
periods of his power, have existed 
at every moment since the peace. 
How his majesty’s ministers can 
justify this tardy avowal ; how they 
can presume to come down to this 
house, with the declarations in their 
hands, with the confessions unwil- 
lingly drawn from them, of the 
existence of proceedings which 
they now say they have seen and 
felt ever since the peace was signed ; 
how they came to tell us zow, that 
nothing but hostility and aggression 
existed at periods when they told 
us that nothing but harmony and 
profound peace prevailed, remains 
for their farther ingenuity to ex- 
plain. A reference to their par- 
liamentary conduct ever since the 
treaty of Amiens, will shew, that 
instead of putting us upon our 
guard against dangers,which we now 
tind, they knew, existed; instead of 
stimulating our watchfulness, and 
encouraging our vigilance; they 
have universally, at the different 
periods I allude to, tried to lull the 
country into a security, which they 
now tell us was not warranted by 
the fact, and inspire us with hopes, 
which they now declare, they knew 
to be fallacious. Nov. 23d, 1802, 
the chancellor of the exchequer 
M2 clared 
