172 
barity which could dictate this sen- 
tence, and inshame and in confusion 
at the eternal stain and blot which 
it will fix upon this page of our 
history, I have thus gone through 
the different points which appear - 
to me to bear upon the subject 
Lefore you, and to justify the 
resolutions which are submitted 
to the House. From these ex- 
tracts, which L have made from the 
papers on your table, from the 
facts which they avow, and from 
the dates which confirm these facts, 
thence deductions are to be made, 
Tiie first is, that from the moment 
the treaty of Amiens was signed, 
his majesty’s ministers were aware 
of the hostility avowed and ex- 
pressed by the government of 
France towards this country ; se- 
condly, that being so aware of them, 
they concealed that conviction 
from the country, and encouraged 
the people with hopes of per- 
manent peace and tranquillity, 
knowing at the moment they 
held out these hopes, that they were 
false and illusory ;, and thirdly, 
that on many points, which they now 
make, either distinctively er collec- 
tively, causes of war, they made 
no remonstrance, or such remon- 
strances only, as were degrading to 
the dignity of the nation; and that 
when they interfered or mediated, 
they interfered without firmness, 
they mediated without honor.” 
Mr. Hobhouse defended, at some 
jength, the conduct of ministers, 
against the accusations which had 
been brought against them. He 
did not recollect, that ministers had 
made -declarations, in the forms 
mentioned by lord ‘Temple. 
Mr. Charles W. Wynne, con- 
demned ministers, for submitting to 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
' 
1803. 
so many insults from France. He 
considered, that this submission:to 
insult was, whether in a state, or in 
an individual, the surest way to 
have them repeated. 
Mr. Courtenay, compared the 
conduct of ministers, in breaking 
the peace which they had made, to 
the doctrine of Hippocrates, who 
advised, in case a limb was broken, 
and badly set, that it should be 
broken over again, and take the 
chance of setting it better. 
Mr.’ T. Grenville, re-stated the 
various objections, which had be+ 
fore been made to the conduct of 
ministers, during the short interval 
of peace. He dwelt particularly on 
their interference in Switzerland, 
at a time when it was too late for 
their interference to do any good, 
The chancellor of the exchequer 
then rose, in vindication of the con- 
duct of ministers, | As to the peace 
of Amiens, he now entertained the 
same opinion, that he did at the 
conclusion ef ‘it; namely, that in 
the then existing circumstances, it 
was a wise and necessary measure, 
As it was deemed right to enter into 
that treaty, ministers had, after 
the conclusion of it, done every 
thing in their power to maintain it, 
He was proud to attribute to the 
forbearance of ministers, that spi- 
rit, which now so universally ani- 
mated the nation. Upon the sign- 
ing of the peace, ministers did not 
calculate upon a very friendly dis- 
position, onthe part of the French 
government, and therefore they had 
prepared considerable establish- 
ments, both military and naval. He 
admitted, that in perusing the do- 
cuments on the table, many acts 
of forbeayance might be found, on 
the part of ministers ; but nothing 
dis- 
