GENERAL HISTORY. 



[93 



before the consideration of parlia- 

 ment. He deprecated any inter- 

 ference on the part of the house 

 in a question in which commercial 

 considerations were mixed with 

 those of maritime right, and, pend- 

 ing a dehcate negDciation, dictating 

 to the executive Kovernment the 

 course it ought to pursue. After 

 various observations in defence of 

 the policy and justice of the orders 

 in council, and in answer to some 

 of the mover's statements, the no- 

 ble lord came to the point by say- 

 ing, that Great Britain would con- 

 sent to suspend her orders in coun- 

 cil, provided America would sus- 

 pend her non-importation act. The 

 experiment might then be tried of 

 the practicability of restoring things 

 to their ancient system. Under 

 these circumstances he trusted that 

 the house would not consent to 

 the address — and he moved the 

 order of the day. 



Mr. Whitbread then begged the 

 noble lord to say precisely what he 

 proposed to do with respect to 

 America. 



Lord Castlereagh said, that he 

 meant that a proposition should be 

 made to the American government 

 to suspend immediately the orders 

 in council, on condition that they 

 would suspend their non-importa- 

 tion act. 



Mr. Whitbread was of opinion 

 that if this proposition were to be 

 sent out to America, and it was 

 expected that the house and coun- 

 try should wait till they received 

 an answer, it was the greatest de- 

 lusion that ever had been attempt- 

 ed ; and he proceeded to express 

 in strong terms the urgency of the 

 distress felt by the manufacturers, 

 and the necessity of giving the in- 

 tended relief without delay. Mr. 



Ponsonby also spoke against the 

 measure proposed, as calculated to 

 create delay. 



Lord Castlereagh, in further ex- 

 planation, said that it was never 

 meant that there should be any 

 delay in suspending the orders in 

 council : the intention was that 

 they should be suspended for a de- 

 finite time, and that this circum- 

 stance should be communicated to 

 the American government for the 

 double purpose of ascertaining 

 whether it would in consequence 

 abrogate its non-importation act ; 

 and also that it might apply to 

 France to return to the ancient 

 system of belligerents. 



Mr. Wilberforce objected to the 

 mode proposed by the noble lord, 

 because it shewed an unwillingness 

 to do that which, in fact, he in- 

 tended to do. 



Mr. Canning, in giving a kind 

 of middle opinion on the subject, 

 contended that revocation was bet- 

 ter than suspension. 



Mr. Brougham, after congratu- 

 lating the house on the prospect 

 of speedily getting rid of these or- 

 ders, hoped that the noble lord 

 would withdraw his motion for 

 proceeding to the orders of the day, 

 and explain more distinctly what 

 was the exact intention of govern- 

 ment. 



The final result was, that Mr. B, 

 and Lord Castlereagh severally 

 withdrew their motions on the un- 

 derstanding that an official instru- 

 ment on the subject should appear 

 in the next Gazette. 



It v/as a remarkable circum- 

 stance in this debate, that Mr. 

 Stephens, the most strenuous de- 

 fender and promoter of the orders 

 in council, was not present : a cer- 

 tain proof that ministers were al- 

 ready 



