e78 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
with him had been broken off, un- 
der circumstances by no means of 
a conciliating nature, they had to 
dread the full weight of his opposi- 
tion, when they were called upon 
in parliament to furnish those docu- 
ments, by which they were to prove 
the existence of “ hostile arma- 
ments,” ‘‘important discussions,” 
and the necessity of arming the 
country. | 
One mode alone remained, by 
which they could hope to obviate the 
dreaded effects of such au investiga- 
tion; and the peremptory /as¢ ulti- 
matum was consequently dispatched 
to Paris. 
the important acquisition of Malta, 
combining with the natural wish for 
peace, would give government a 
degree of popularity, sufficient to 
carry them through the inquiry, 
with some degree of credit ; on the 
contrary, should he remain firm, 
then, in the event of war, (which 
must inevitably ensue, from the 
tenor of their last communication 
to the French government,) they 
might hope, that the apprehension in 
many, of lessening the energies of 
the country, or of distracting its 
councils by political acrimony at 
@ moment when unanimity and vi- 
gour was become so essential from 
the nature and importance of the 
contest, would shield them from 
that censure in which they well 
knew enguiry into their conduct 
since the period of the treaty of 
Amiens, would lead the new oppo- 
sition to endeavour to involve them. 
This reasoning of the administration 
was fully borne out by the event. 
If Bonaparte gave way, 
Popular indignation and resent- 
ment were too strongly excited, 
by the series of aggression, insult, 
and hostility, which appeared to 
have marked the conduct of Bona- 
parte since the peace, and which 
were elaborately and connectedly 
detailed in his majesty’s declaration, 
not to call eagerly for war, without 
dwelling upon the weakness, incon- 
sistency, and irresolution of those 
counsels, which had suffered them 
to attain to such an height, as left 
no alternative save hostile measures. 
And in parliament Mr. Pitt and 
those who acted with him, not only 
supported the principles on which 
the war had commenced; but when 
investigation of the conduct of mi- 
nisters had produced the dreaded 
motion of censure, they opposed 
going into their merits or demerits, 
as tending to promote disunion, at 
a crisis so momentous. 
For the opinions of the best in- 
formed and mostenlightened of the 
statesmen of Great Britain, on all 
the subjects connected with this 
chapter, we beg to refer our readers 
to the proceedings in parliament, 
detailed at sufficient length in the 
early. part of our “ History of 
Europe ;” some of which our limits 
would not here allow of a more mi- 
nute relation; such, were the im- 
provident reduction of our fleet and 
army, during a period, when France 
was straining every nerve to put 
both those establishments upon the 
most extensive footing.—The refa- 
tive insignificance of Lampedesa*— 
the ihconsistency and folly of clog- 
ging the negociation at Paris, with 
* Lampedosa is a small uninhabited island, between Malta and the coast of Tunis, 
belonging to the crown of Sicily. 
with tolerable security anchor mits roads. 
It feeds a few sheep and goats; and a frigate way 
conditions 
