GENERAL HISTORY, 



[163 



had never been the object of minis- 

 ters, yet he was convinced that 

 we could have had no satisfactory 

 peace with any other government 

 in that country. At the condu- 

 fiion of former wars we had some- 

 times abandonee? our allies, and 

 consulted only our own interests : 

 the present peace was made in 

 conjunction with them, and with 

 their full approbation and grati- 

 tude for our services. Never did 

 the character of Great Britain 

 «tand so high as at the present 

 moment. 



The address was agreed to riem. 

 con. 



On June 29th Lord Lascelies 

 moved in the House of Commons 

 an address to the Prince Regent 

 on the peace with France. The 

 introductory speech was similar 

 to that on the same occasion in the 

 House of Lords ; and the tenor of 

 the address was to express satis- 

 faction with the peace, as having 

 fully accomplished the great ob- 

 jects of the war ; and by the res- 

 toration of so many legitimate 

 authorities on the continent, af- 

 forded the best prospect of perma- 

 nent tranquillity to Europe, 



The motion was seconded by 

 Mr. Gooch, who added to the sen- 

 timents of the former speaker, 

 that « to the principles of Mr. Pitt 

 the successful issue of the war was 

 due." 



Sir John Newport noticed the 

 impropriety of introducing topics 

 which could not but create dis- 

 sent. What connection the Duke 

 of Wellington had with the prin- 

 ciples of Mr. Pitt he could not 

 discover. Instead of the unvaried 

 system on which, according to the 

 mover and seconder, the war had 

 been conducted, he thought there 

 never was a war, the grounds of 



which, during the contest, had 

 been so often changed. With re- 

 spect to the declaration in the ad- 

 dress, " that tlie treaty was con- 

 siderate for the interests and the 

 honour of all," he said, th:it the 

 interests of our fisheries had cer- 

 tainly been neglected in the 13th 

 article of the treaty, which re- 

 signed the most important parts of 

 the coasts of Newfoundland, La- 

 brador, and the river St. Lau- 

 rence, 



Mr. Rose asserte<l that more 

 concessions to France with respect 

 to the fisheries had not been made 

 by this treaty than by former 

 treaties with that country , and he 

 pronounced the hoii. baronet's 

 statements on this head to be alto- 

 gether visionary. 



Mr. Wilberforce spoke much in 

 favour of the general spirit of the 

 treaty, and particularly commend- 

 ed that article by which it was 

 stipulated that no persons belong- 

 ing to the ceded countries, or any 

 others, should be molested for any 

 opinions or conduct which they 

 had adopted under a different go- 

 vernment. He was the more 

 anxious to refer to this stipulation 

 on account of the affecting intel- 

 ligence from Spain, where many 

 of the noblest characters in the 

 late government lay under a severe 

 persecution ; and he instanced 

 Signor Arguelles, from whom he 

 had some time before received a 

 letter, mentioning his intention of 

 moving in the Cortes the abolition 

 of the slave trade. This led the 

 hon. gentleman to allude to that 

 article of the treaty on which he 

 had already expressed his opinion ; 

 and as he did not wish to disturb 

 the unanimity of parliament, yet 

 was desirous of i)reserving his own 

 feelings from misconstruction, he 



